


Go On

by sdwolfpup



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: (everyone except hyle but he's dealt with quickly), Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dorks in Love, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, No Incest, POV Multiple, POV Outsider, Schmoop, Softer than that, Texting, brienne owns a fish and aquarium store, everyone in this story is so soft, i cannot stress enough how frothy and light this fic is, jaime owns a bar, soft softity soft soft soft, tags i never thought i'd use regularly but here we are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23351134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sdwolfpup/pseuds/sdwolfpup
Summary: The entirely soft tale of Brienne-with-the-fish and Jaime-with-the-bar, the cheating ex-boyfriend that inadvertently brings them together, and the supportive and exasperated support systems in their lives that help them see that even after heartbreak, life goes on.
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 1067
Kudos: 897





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I heard the George Strait song, "Go On," today and was inspired to write this. Short and hopefully sweet.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

Brienne stared down into her almost empty beer and sighed. That’s what Hyle had asked her when they’d first met. Not at this bar, of course; she wasn’t enough of a masochist to go back to the bar where she’d first met her cheating boyfriend.

“Hello?”

She sighed more heavily. What would it be like, to have so many men asking to buy you drinks that you could just ignore them? When Hyle had asked her that first night eight months ago, she hadn’t even believed he was talking to her. She’d just come off her shift at the store and she was tired and lonely and convinced she would die a spinster with her steadily-growing collection of exotic fish. 

“Hey. Tall, blonde, and sad: are you ignoring me?”

Brienne blinked and looked up at the bartender who was standing directly in front of her, his palms resting on the bar. He hadn’t been the bartender who’d served her when she first came in, uh, awhile ago. She definitely would have remembered him. 

“So you are conscious, excellent,” he said, flashing her the pearliest white set of teeth she’d ever seen. He gestured at her glass. “Can I buy you a drink?”

He was distractingly handsome - gold hair curling down to his shoulders, startling green eyes, a sharp-featured face that should grace a magazine. Based on the way his white t-shirt clung to his shoulders, and the casual muscularity of his forearms, she could dress him up like a merman and sell every fish in her store in a day. 

“How many of those have you had?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. 

“Two,” she said quickly. A question with numbers was much easier to focus on.

“Then can I get you a third?”

“Why?” she blurted out. Entirely reasonably, to her mind, because it made no sense. Brienne glanced around, saw a pair of women further down the bar trying to avoid the attention of the other bartender and desperately trying to get the attention of this one. “There are other women here.”

The bartender smiled wryly. “I’m aware of the customers at my bar,” he said and suddenly his presence in this bar in general made a lot more sense, at least. “But you look like you need a drink more than they do. What are you having?”

“A Night's Watch Brotherhood Stout,” she said, and the bartender's golden eyebrows lifted in appreciation.

“Excellent choice.” He poured her a perfectly topped stout and set it down in front of her. “On the house.”

“Why?” she asked again, frowning down at the drink, then up at the excruciatingly handsome bartender smiling warmly at her. 

“You look like you could use it. Rough day?”

The women at the other end of the bar scooted closer. “Excuse us!” one of them said in a sultry voice. 

“Pod will help you,” the man said, flashing them a charming and distant smile. “I'm busy.” 

The women pouted and the other bartender – Pod, it turned out – leaned forward. “How can I help you ladies?” Brienne heard him ask before Golden God Bartender tapped the bar in front of her. 

“So – rough day?”

Brienne nodded a little, finished off the last of her second drink and pulled the third towards her. 

“Boy troubles?” he asked, and though his eyes were bright with mischief, he looked sincere. Brienne nodded again. “In general I'm not a very good listener, but I _am_ good at coming up with biting insults for terrible people, if you want to talk.” 

Brienne smiled a little and he beamed at her. “I appreciate it, but you really don't have to. I'll give you a good tip anyway.”

The man looked offended. “I earn my tips the old-fashioned way: by standing here being handsome.” 

That made her laugh, and the bartender leaned forward on one arm, friendly and inviting. “Come on darling, what's your name?”

She blushed, her cheeks heating immediately. “Brienne,” she said quietly. 

“My name's Jaime.” He held his hand out and she took it, shaking it firmly, as her dad had taught her when she was young and still taller than everyone her age. Jaime had a solid grip, strong and confident. “Now that we're friends,” he said and she snorted, “you can tell me about your boy troubles.” 

“You're very persistent.”

“I've been told that many times.” 

Brienne took another drink of her stout and thought of Hyle and figured why not. It wasn't like Jaime wouldn't have already guessed. If she, of all people, were having so-called 'boy troubles,' it could only be one thing. “My boyfriend cheated on me,” she said. 

“What?” Jaime said, frowning. “Seriously?”

Brienne rolled her eyes. “You don't have to play the offended friend here. Of course he cheated on me. Even my real offended friends knew he would.” 

“Wow there's...a lot to unpack there,” Jaime said. “Why do you say of course he would? Did you know he was a dick going in and you dated him anyway?”

“No, why would I date someone like that?”

“I don't know you, maybe you would.”

“Well Hyle wasn't a dick. He was nice.”

“Nice.” Jaime's tone couldn't have been more sarcastic. 

“Sweet, even, at the beginning,” she said, weirdly defensive of Hyle. Or at least of herself. She took another long drink of the beer and when she set the glass down, Jaime was watching her so intently she flushed again. “But in the last few months he was distant. A little mean, even. I should have known it would come to this.” 

“See, that's twice you've suggested cheating was a natural outcome and yet you assure me this Hyle wasn't a dick so I'm missing why it should be obvious he'd cheat on you.” 

“I mean,” Brienne stared down at her stout. She tilted the glass around a little and watched tiny bubbles popping. It wasn't any of Jaime the Handsome Bartender's business why she knew Hyle would cheat on her but the third drink must have been getting to her because she said: “Look at me. He had to get sick of this eventually.”

Jaime leaned forward into her space until she had to bring her head up and back to look at him. “Sick of what exactly?”

“Me,” she said, gesturing at her face and too-big body. 

He frowned so seriously at her she wondered if she'd somehow insulted _him_. “You know, I broke up with my girlfriend about six months ago. For cheating on me.”

She scoffed. “Liar.”

“I'm not lying,” he said, quiet and serious, and Brienne felt badly. 

“But... _why_?” Brienne couldn't imagine anyone cheating when you had all _that_ at home. She couldn't imagine anyone letting him leave the house, to be honest. 

“Because she didn't appreciate me,” he said, patiently. “And she was a dick.” Brienne laughed and Jaime grinned briefly at her. “My ex, Cersei, she started out sweet, too, but the person you are six months or more in a relationship is the person you really are, not the first person. This Hyle showed his true dickishness. It had nothing to do with you and your frankly fantastic body.”

Brienne choked on the drink she had just started to take and Jaime handed her a napkin and a quick glass of water. 

“Sorry,” he said, “that was inappropriate.”

“No, it's, I, uh,” she gulped down the water and wished she could dump it over her head to cool down her flaming skin. “Thanks,” she muttered. 

He wiped the bar clean and tossed the towel over his broad shoulder. “Do you want a replacement for your stout?”

She looked down at her nearly empty third glass. “No, I better not. I should get home soon. I have to feed my fish.” When she looked back up at him, his smile was crooked and sweet and incredibly tempting. 

“That sounds like an excuse, but I believe you.”

“I have fish,” she said limply. 

“Lots of fish?”

“More than your average person.” Could she sound any more pathetic? 

“Brienne with the fish,” Jaime said gently. “Do you know what the best cure is for a broken heart?”

She definitely hadn't loved Hyle enough to have a broken heart, but it was at least bruised. She shook her head, no.

“Going on.” 

“That sounds like good advice.”

“We could go on and talk about something besides our terrible exes, if you want.” 

“Well, I,” Brienne looked around. The bar had filled up and pretty soon Jaime was going to have to stop just talking to her, even if he didn't look ready to leave, and she didn't feel ready for him to leave. “I should go and you have to work.”

“No, I don't. My bartenders are both here.” He nodded at Pod, and a woman with a frizz of red hair that had apparently been holding down the opposite end of the bar. “There's a great diner a block from here. Tyrion's. I know the owner,” he said with a sly smile that she didn't quite understand. “I'll buy you a burger to offset the beer. What do you say?”

That this was the most unexpected day of her entire life, including that time she'd been bitten by a very angry Jack Dempsey fish and had to go to the emergency room to get the tip of her finger sewed back on? 

Jaime was waiting for her answer, hopeful and handsome. Wallowing in the past wasn't going to do her any good, and Jaime was right: the best way to get over her dick of an ex would be to leave him behind her. 

Brienne smiled. Her fish could wait for her to see this through, at least for dinner. “I say, let's go on."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brienne had assumed she'd never hear from him again. Jaime had been great for helping her forget about Hyle, but she knew he'd just been being kind and she wasn't foolish enough to believe he'd meant doing it again. She suspected Jaime had in fact given her his real number, but if she texted she also knew he'd tell her how terribly busy he was and they'd spend the next month in increasingly long delays talking about how they really should see each other soon. Brienne knew the game. At least she'd gotten to stare at his face and forget about Hyle for a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Today I will work more on HFoG! Or 9 to 5! Existing stories I definitely want to finish.  
> Also me: OR you could write three thousand extremely fluffy words about Exotic Fish Loving Brienne.  
> Me: Well, fuck.

Their friendly dinner turned into friendly texting. 

It started after they broke for the night, having closed down Tyrion's Diner well past one am. Jaime had been so easy to talk to when she wasn't completely distracted watching him. They'd discussed everything except their cheating exes and once Tysha had come over and gently shooed them out, they'd stood outside on the sidewalk, both of them shivering a little in the cool night, and put their numbers into each other's phones. 

“It was nice to meet you,” Brienne had said, feeling awkward. 

Jaime had just smiled. “You too,” he'd said with an emphasis that warmed her against the wind. “We should do this again soon. I'll text you!”

He'd waited until her rideshare had arrived and he waved to her when she looked back through the window as they pulled away. 

Brienne had assumed she'd never hear from him again. Jaime had been great for helping her forget about Hyle, but she knew he'd just been being kind and she wasn't foolish enough to believe he'd meant doing it again. She suspected Jaime had in fact given her his real number, but if she texted she also knew he'd tell her how terribly busy he was and they'd spend the next month in increasingly long delays talking about how they really should see each other soon. Brienne knew the game. At least she'd gotten to stare at his face and forget about Hyle for a night. 

She'd slept well, and late, and when she woke up that Sunday morning she had to scramble to take a shower and get ready to make it down to her shop in time for the 11am store opening hours. She'd just have to be feeding and cleaning tanks while customers were in the shop. Not that they ever had a huge rush of people at Evenstar Fish and Aquariums, but she had some regulars who picked up feeder goldfish on Sundays that she always enjoyed talking to.

Brienne rushed out the door, grabbing her phone and shoving it in her purse unchecked, climbed into her little econocar since she didn't have time to wait for the bus or a rideshare, and zipped to work. It wasn't until after lunch that she had time to look at her phone at all, and was shocked to find new alerts from Hyle and Jaime. 

She read Hyle's first, wary and hopeful. He'd cheated on her, but he'd also been her first serious boyfriend. Maybe it had all been a terrible mistake. His first message had been sent early that morning.

**Hyle H.** : I'm so sorry, B.  
**Hyle H.** : Can we talk?

And then a few hours later when she hadn't responded:

**Hyle H.** : You don't have to be a bitch about this.

Ah. Jaime, it seemed, had the right of it: early Hyle wasn't the real Hyle, it was always later Hyle that showed his true colors. She ignored Hyle's messages and looked at the new message alert next to Jaime's name, her heart pounding. 

**Jaime L.** : Good morning Brienne with the fish. Wanted to be sure you made it home ok.

Then, an hour later: 

**Jaime L.** : I'm not trying to be weird, but if you could send me just an emoji or something, I'd appreciate it. I'm kind of a worrier. 

And from half an hour ago:

**Jaime L.** : It occurred to me maybe you really didn't want to talk again. That's fine, I'll just assume that was my mistake if I don't hear from you. It was nice to meet you. I hope you're feeling better.

Brienne fumbled with her phone as she started typing furiously. 

**Me** : I do want to talk to you again!

Then she slapped her hand across her face in embarrassment. _Way to sound desperate_ , she thought. 

**Me** : I slept in late and had to rush to work. Couldn't check my phone. Sorry.

The three dots showing Jaime was already responding popped up and she stared wide-eyed down at the screen. 

**Jaime L.** : Whew! I thought I'd scared you off with the check-in. I really am just a worrier. You can ask my brother. 

Brienne bit her lip and looked around the empty store like someone was going to see the happiness pounding out of her heart. 

**Me** : Nope you were fine. It was sweet of you to ask.  
**Jaime L.** : I'd like to ask you something else.

She leaned forward, staring intently at her phone when a picture of a fish with a completely transparent head popped up. 

**Jaime L.** :What the hell kind of fish is this?

Brienne laughed in disbelief and a little embarrassment at what she'd expected him to ask. 

**Me** : That's a barreleye fish. Did you really wait hours to ask me that when you could have googled it?

The dots appeared, then disappeared, and she hurriedly sent a big smiley face emoji, afraid he was thinking she was making fun of him. 

**Jaime L.** : Maybe I was testing your fish expertise.  
**Me** : Did you forget the solid hour I talked your ear off last night about different types of goldfish?  
**Jaime L.** : No, I remember that. It was cute.

Brienne blushed and had to look away from the phone. No one had ever called anything about her 'cute' before, least of all her fish obsession. 

**Jaime L.** : It's much more fun to ask you about fish than google. Do I have your permission to send all my fish-related questions your way?

She snorted, loud in the empty store. 

**Me** : Yes, I am happy to answer what I'm sure will be the overwhelming number of fish questions you encounter in your day-to-day life.  
**Jaime L.** : You'd be surprised what people talk to bartenders about.

The bell at the front door rang and Brienne hurriedly set her phone face down and smiled at the customer. It was someone she hadn't seen before, so she said, “Welcome to Evenstar Fish and Aquariums, please let me know if I can help you,” in her friendliest voice and tried to look busy and ignore her phone, which dinged with new messages. 

After fifteen minutes where the person wandered through and then left again without buying anything, Brienne quickly picked up her phone. 

**Jaime L.** : I'm glad you talked to me though!  
**Jaime L.** : About fish and everything else.  
**Jaime L.** : Wow this was a lot easier last night.  
**Jaime L.** : I hope I was more suave in person. 

She grinned at the betta, Arthur, darting about in his bowl by the cash register. He was deep purple-blue on the body with almost iridescent blue fins. Secretly, he was her favorite; she kept him here instead of at home with the others because she spent so much more of her time at the store. 

**Me** : You were  
**Me** : You poured a mean stout. 

His response came quickly, and she wondered where he was, what he was doing. As a bartender he must work later hours than she did. He was probably home, relaxing. Chatting with her.

**Jaime L.** : I've had a lot of practice.  
**Jaime L.** : You own your shop right? Are you open today?  
**Me** : Yes. Wednesdays through Sundays. 9am-6pm, except Sundays, 11-6. 

She had a couple of employees who covered the register occasionally, but those were the hours that had worked best for her, and she'd discovered people didn't tend to buy fish supplies early in the work week. 

**Jaime L.** : Darn. We have conflicting schedules. I work Friday through Tuesday, usually 4pm to 2am.  
**Jaime L.** : Don't worry though we can make it work.

Brienne frowned down at the phone. Make _what_ work? 

**Jaime L.** : Having another meal I mean  
**Jaime L.** : If you want  
**Jaime L.** : No pressure

That a man that looked like Jaime could be so uncertain about her wanting to see him again almost beggared belief, but she found it sincere and oddly endearing. 

**Me** : That would be nice

She frowned at how lukewarm that sounded and sent:

**Me** : It would be fantastic!

_Too far_ , she moaned internally. 

**Jaime L.** : Awesome! I'll figure out my schedule and let you know. Bonus of owning the bar I guess.  
**Me** : Being a business owner has a few perks

The bell rang again and it was one of her regulars, a small family of two women and their son. The boy loved to look at every single tank while his mothers watched patiently and answered the same questions every week. Brienne had started letting him feed the aquarium turtles their mealworms and so he headed straight for her counter now, eyes wide and hopeful in his freckled face. Brienne felt a special kinship with him and his visit was a highlight of her week. 

**Me** : Back to work. Talk later.

She set her phone down and heard it ding while she leaned over the counter and smiled at the boy. “Good afternoon, Mycah.”

“Good afternoon, Ms. Brienne.”

“I've got the mealworms ready for you. Do you want to start with the feeding?”

“Yes!” he nearly shouted, bouncing on his toes and holding his hands out eagerly.

“Quieter, dear,” one of his mothers, Brienne thought her name was Rhaenys, said. Brienne and the women hardly talked; Brienne had mostly just interacted with Mycah. The other woman in particular, Arianne, had such an air of easy sensuality that Brienne was usually flustered trying to talk to her, all too aware of how big and ugly and awkward she was in comparison. They'd both been nothing but polite, but it was hard for Brienne nonetheless. 

Brienne pulled out the mealworms for Mycah to give to Horas and Hobber, and let the family start without her towards the back where the turtle aquarium was in order to quickly check her phone. 

**Jaime L.** : I look forward to it

Brienne couldn't hide the happy smile on her face even when she felt Arianne giving her a curious look as she knelt down next to Mycah to talk to him about Horas and Hobber. 

Work was steady for the rest of the afternoon and Brienne forgot about Hyle and Jaime both as she answered questions, bagged fish, sold supplies, and cleaned and cared for her many little swimming charges. By the time it was six, she turned off the fish-shaped Open sign, locked the door, and sighed, tired. But there was still closing out the register and prepping a final feeding for everyone so she wouldn't have to come in at all on Monday, her one day entirely away from the store, and by the time she was driving back home in her econocar it was almost eight pm. 

Brienne glanced at her phone at a red light, but there were no messages from anyone, a state with which she'd become accustomed. Even when they'd been dating, at least by the end of their relationship, Hyle hadn't ever seemed interested in just chatting. She was realizing, now that it was over, that they'd barely even liked each other in the last couple of months. Brienne never thought about sending him a hello just to make a connection, that he would never send her a random meme or love note during the day. They'd fallen into a comfortable routine but they'd only been half in each other's lives. 

Frankly, her finding out about Hyle's cheating was probably the best thing that could have happened to her. Otherwise she might have just wandered into moving in with and maybe even marrying him someday, an idea which four months ago had seemed reasonable. 

As though 'reasonable' were the right adjective to use for the person you were going to spend the rest of your life with. 

“Hi everybody,” Brienne called out when she walked into her apartment, greeting the occupants of the giant saltwater aquarium that took up most of her living room, the bettas in scattered bowls along the counter in the window between her kitchen and the living room, and to the fish in the smaller freshwater tank in her bedroom. She exhaled, feeling peace settle over her with the sounds of gentle bubbling and whirring from the tanks, the darting about of her inquisitive friends. 

“Who's been nipping at Martyn's tail again?” she asked as she leaned down to examine her pair of Black Skirt Tetras. No one fessed up to the crime, so Brienne just shook her head in disappointment at the rest of the fish and changed into pajama pants and a tank top. She was examining her almost empty fridge for what she could put together for dinner when her phone dinged. 

Brienne grabbed it quickly and beamed when she saw it was from Jaime. 

**Jaime L.** : You're never going to believe this  
**Jaime L.** : But I have a fish question for you.  
**Me** : You're right I don't believe it, but go for it  
**Jaime L.** : What's the name of that goldfish with the big poofy eyes again? This patron was asking and I wanted to show him a picture and I didn't know what to google  
**Me** : Bubble-eye goldfish  
**Me** : Why is a patron asking you about goldfish?

There was nothing for almost a minute and then finally she saw him typing some response. 

**Jaime L.** : I was telling him about you.

Brienne flushed, heat rushing over and through her. She had no idea how to respond to that, didn't want to assume it meant anything but...whatever it meant. 

**Me** : Oh

She grimaced. 

**Me** : Hopefully good things  
**Jaime L.** : Of course!  
**Jaime L.** : Also don't be surprised if someone shows up on Wednesday asking for a bubble-eye goldfish. 

He was talking about her store, not her. That made more sense. 

**Me** : Thanks for the free advertising.  
**Jaime L.** : My pleasure, Brienne With The Fish  
**Me** : You can just call me Brienne  
**Jaime L.** : I like the other way better  
**Jaime L.** : Besides the acronym is Brienne WTF and that's hilarious

She laughed out loud alone in her kitchen and shook her head. 

**Me** : That is pretty funny. I'll allow it  
**Jaime L.** : Are you home now?  
**Me** : Yes. Thinking about dinner.  
**Jaime L.** : Me too. My dinner break is coming up. We could virtually eat together. 

Brienne smiled again; it felt like the most she'd smiled in months. 

**Me** : Sure. Let me know when.  
**Jaime L.** : I usually take 8:30 to 9:30. Can I call you when I'm settled?

She swallowed hard, felt a nervous flutter in her stomach. Texting was one thing, but talking on the phone? While she was eating? 

**Me** : Won't our mouths be too full of food to talk?  
**Jaime L.** : Didn't stop us last night

Why did that sound dirty when she imagined him saying it? 

_Because he's way too attractive_ , she thought. 

**Jaime L.** : We don't have to, if you don't want

Brienne's fingers hesitated over the keyboard. The question was: did she _want_ to talk to Jaime again? She thought of him smiling at her over their burgers, the soft edges of his laughter, the warmth of his voice. 

**Me** : I want to. Call me when you're ready. Hopefully I'll have found something to eat by then

She had fifteen minutes and a dozen eggs; breakfast for dinner was the likely outcome. 

**Jaime L.** : Great! I'll be quick as I can. 

Brienne set the phone down to keep from sending anything embarrassing back like how excited she was or to ask him what he was wearing. The bettas watched her with pleading eyes, so she went through and fed everyone and by the time she had finished, her phone started to ring. 8:35pm. 

She picked it up and exhaled shakily. 

“Hello?” she squeaked. 

“Hi.” She could hear the smile in his deep voice. “Have your food?”

“Um.” Brienne glanced around, grabbed a banana and held it up like he could see it. “Yep!”

“Me too. I went with Dornish tonight. What about you?”

She stared at her banana. “Just a, uh, mish-mash.” Brienne flinched. This _had_ been a lot easier last night. “How's work going?”

“Fairly standard for a Sunday night: some unhappy sports fans, some regulars, a group of women who call themselves The Cougarettes who have been trying to order drinks from me instead of Ygritte for the last hour even though I've got my official Boss Clipboard in hand and I'm trying to get weekly inventory done.”

Brienne put the speaker on and set her phone down so she could peel her banana. “Are the Cougarettes regulars, too?”

“No. Which is kind of a shame because they're buying a lot of drinks. But Ygritte says they're not tipping well, and they're getting loud. We'll have to convince them to leave soon.” 

“Sounds unpleasant. We don't get a lot of unruly customers in the store.”

“No hooligans running around splashing the tanks?” Jaime teased. 

“No. Although there were a couple of teen boys who came in once and tried to torment the turtles.”

“You have turtles? I thought it was a fish store?”

“It's fish and other water-based animals. Turtles, snails, aquatic frogs.” 

“Huh.” She heard the rustle of a bag and Jaime sniffed loudly over the phone. “I love Dornish,” he said happily. “So what did you do about the turtle-tormenting-teens?”

“I intimidated them into leaving my store. A few weeks later one of them came back and apologized and asked for a job, and now he's one of my best workers.” 

“Seriously?” 

Brienne frowned at the phone. “Yes, seriously.” 

“You must have a soft heart, Brienne WTF.”

“I guess. He seemed so earnest.”

“When faced with you, I can only imagine.” 

She felt her cheeks heat. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I've been thinking about those blue eyes of yours since last night. Some poor teenage boy, seeing them all mad and disappointed? He must have been crushed.” 

Jaime's answer didn't help her blush at all. “You've been thinking about my eyes?” she blurted out, and then dropped her half-eaten banana to the counter and clapped her hands over her face. 

“Yes,” Jaime said. His voice was low and curling around her spine. “So tell me, Brienne WTF, what are you eating?”

She stared at supposed dinner. “Nothing special.”

“Should we video chat so you can show me?”

Her eyes widened as she looked down at herself. “Absolutely not. I'm not dressed.”

“Are you naked?” he asked, and his tone was light, but there was a keen edge of interest to it that made her shiver. 

“No, I mean I'm in my pajamas. No video chatting.” 

“Maybe another time, then.”

Another time. She picked up her banana and took a bite. “Yeah,” she mumbled around the food. 

Jaime picked up the conversation for them both, and after a minute Brienne forgot about her several embarrassing missteps and they were chatting easily again, covering favorite shows and music. They were in the middle of arguing about who really was the greatest rock band of all time when Jaime said, “Hold on a sec,” and then he covered the phone and she heard him tell someone else “I'll be just a minute.” 

“Sorry, I need to get back,” he said to her, and when Brienne looked at the clock she saw it was 9:52. 

“Oh, you should have stopped me sooner, Jaime! I didn't mean to keep you, I had no idea we were over.”

“I knew what time it was. I just wanted to talk to you,” he said. Her heart beat a little harder. “Thanks for the dinner conversation. You're off tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.” 

“Well, I'll be taking the 8:30-9:30 break again tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she said, not sure what to read into that. 

“You could come down here then, if you wanted,” he added gently. 

“Oh, yeah, all right. I'll, um, yeah, that would be great.” She bit her lip and hoped that didn't sound as pathetic to him as it did to her. 

“Good,” he said, and she could hear his smile again. “I hope to see you then. Goodnight, Brienne with the fish.” 

“Goodnight, Jaime. With the b-” she stopped herself from saying 'body' just barely and finished, “-bar.”

He chuckled a little into the phone and then hung up. Brienne watched her fish friends for a long time after, and when she slept she dreamed of Jaime bathed in the soft blue light of the tank.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You want to help that nice man over there who's been waiting for a refill on his drink for five minutes or should I do it?” 
> 
> Jaime blinked. “What?”
> 
> Ygritte's sigh was even more aggrieved. “Never mind. I don't know who you're expecting to walk through that door, but she must be pretty magical.”
> 
> He smiled a little. “She is.” The door opened then, and Brienne entered, as tall and broad and arresting as she'd been two nights before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is so self-indulgent I should probably be ashamed but there's no time for shame in this quarantine world.

“Hello?”

Jaime kept his eyes on the door of the bar, but no one had entered in ten minutes and it was almost eight-thirty. 

“Jaime.”

“Hm?” he said vaguely. He felt insistent fingers tugging the sleeve of his shirt and he looked over to glare at Ygritte. “What do you want?”

“I want you to answer the question I've asked you three times, you daft idiot.”

“Do you talk to all your bosses that way?”

“Would explain why I get fired so much,” she said with a sharp grin. “So what's the answer?”

Jaime blinked, his gaze already sliding back to the front door. “Answer to what?”

Ygritte sighed lustily and leaned against the bar, snapping her fingers in front of his face to get him to look at her. “Can I go early tomorrow? Jon's got us tickets to see the Rangers in town against the Dragons.”

“I don't understand weeknight games. Who goes to those?”

“Me and Jon if you'll just say yes.” 

“Yes, fine.” Tuesdays were always slow; he could man the bar on his own. He stared at the door again, but there was still no sign of Brienne. Eight twenty-nine. 

“You want to help that nice man over there who's been waiting for a refill on his drink for five minutes or should I do it?” 

Jaime blinked. “What?”

Ygritte's sigh was even more aggrieved. “Never mind. I don't know who you're expecting to walk through that door, but she must be pretty magical.”

He smiled a little. “She is.” The door opened then, and Brienne entered, as tall and broad and arresting as she'd been two nights before. Jaime straightened and waved like an idiot, as though she wouldn't think to look for him behind the counter of his own bar.

“Oh-ho-ho,” Ygritte huffed in delight, refilling the customer's pilsner. “It's _her_.”

“What does that mean?” Jaime asked. Brienne's face had lit up when she saw him and she waved shyly from the door before making her way back to the bar. 

“Pod told me about your dinner date-by-phone last night.”

“It wasn't a date,” he hissed just before Brienne got to the bar. “Hi!”

“Hi.” She was biting her delightfully plump lip and he was as immediately captivated by her deep-sea eyes as he had been that first night. No wonder she liked fish, with those mermaid eyes of hers. 

She had a brown paper bag clutched in one hand and Jaime stared at it. “Is that your dinner?”

Brienne's freckled cheeks colored, an adorably splotchy red and pink. “Yeah, I wasn't sure what the plan was. I brought us sandwiches.” 

“You brought me a sandwich, too?” Jaime's heart swelled and he smiled so wide his cheeks hurt. 

“Um, yeah. Two kinds? In case you were allergic to peanuts.”

Ygritte muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “magical,” before taking the customer his drink and leaving them alone. 

“Come on,” Jaime said, gesturing for Brienne to follow him, “my office is tucked away back here.” 

They walked down the short hall that had a door on each side for bathrooms, and turned right at the end to find another door which he unlocked and opened for her. When she passed by him to go inside, he inhaled a little and caught her fresh, clean soap scent. It reminded him of the sea, without the acrid tang of salt and seaweed. 

“This is nice,” she said looking around. There was a desk with a laptop and monitor, a couple of stacks of papers, and a few treasured personal items on top; a three-drawer file cabinet tucked into the opposite corner; and a chair in front of the desk that she settled into. Her legs took up half the space in the office. Brienne was wearing loose jeans that hid the shape, but nothing could hide their length. 

“It's boring,” he laughed, closing the door and taking the chair behind the desk. “But it fits two tall people and our sandwiches so it'll be perfect.” Jaime cleaned off a space in the middle of the desk. 

With a little pink still in her cheeks, Brienne unpacked the paper bag. She hadn't just brought sandwiches, she'd brought a checkered dishtowel that she laid down first as a tablecloth, two apples, two bananas, a container of what Jaime guessed was potato salad, and four sandwiches individually wrapped in wax paper. She even had two sets of silverware rolled in thick napkins, and little shakers of salt and pepper. 

It was the cutest thing Jaime had ever seen. 

“You brought us a picnic.”

“I did. I thought, well, I know you love Dornish food but I thought maybe you'd want something different.” She sighed a little. “This is dumb, I'm sorry.”

“No!” He grabbed a sandwich before she could start packing them away again. “This is really thoughtful. Can I get you something to drink? Your usual?”

“My usual?” Her brow furrowed, a concentrated little valley forming just above her crooked nose. “Oh, the stout,” she said on a laugh. “Yeah, I think that pairs with peanut butter and jelly, right?”

He grinned. “Smart woman. I'll be right back.” 

Jaime hustled out of the office and back to the bar, barely avoided the grip of one of their especially affectionate regulars, Roz, and poured them two stouts as fast as he could. 

“Locked her away back there with you, I see,” Ygritte said cheerfully. “Those walls are thin, FYI.”

He fumbled the pour a little and glowered at her. “We're not having sex,” he whispered emphatically. “We're not even dating.”

“You've had dinner with her three nights in a row, Jaime. What would you call that?”

“Eating...together,” he said weakly. “Shut up.” He grabbed the drinks, stuck his tongue out at her, and hurried back to Brienne. 

Outside the door, Jaime took a deep breath. _Be cool_ , he told himself. _You are thirty-two years old and in control of yourself and your life._ Steadier, Jaime shouldered the door open and kicked it closed again. 

“Here you go, one Night's Watch Brotherhood Stout,” he said and his hand only tremored a little when Brienne blinked those big, round pools up at him and smiled gratefully. 

“So how was your day off, Brienne-with-the-fish?” he said when he was seated across from her again. He unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite. Nothing special, but it was tasty enough and the company made it better than a gourmet meal. 

“Good. It's my one day completely away from the shop, so I try to disconnect entirely. I usually go for a run around Dragonpit Park, sometimes see a movie or visit a museum or the aquarium.”

“Do you go by yourself?” he asked and when her mouth drooped into a frown he mentally kicked himself. 

“My friends are Monday-Friday nine-to-fivers, so yeah, I go by myself. Well, Hyle used to join me at lunch when we were first dating, but he stopped that months ago. Not that he ever wanted to do the same things I did.”

Hyle...Hyle...ah. The cheater. “Sounds like it's better by yourself anyway,” Jaime said around a mouthful of sandwich. 

“Yeah,” Brienne said, sighing wistfully. 

“I could go with you sometime,” Jaime blurted out. Brienne's eyes got impossibly wider. “If you're lonely. Or whatever.”

“You work on Mondays.”

“Not until 4. I have mornings free.” Afternoons, if he were being honest, since he didn't usually even wake up until eleven, but he could manage one early Monday. Or, he thought, when a happy smile curled her lips, every Monday. 

“Do you...like museums?”

“Sure. I majored in business but I minored in history. I honestly haven't been in awhile. They weren't really Cersei's _thing_.” And the gods knew they only ever did her things, never his. He'd thought that it balanced out because owning the bar took up so much of the rest of his time, until he realized she was still doing her things when he was working, and her things were half the dicks in King's Landing. 

He wasted seven years of his life devoting himself to her whims and getting just enough love in return to keep going. By the time they'd finally broken up it had been a relief. 

Now, with Brienne smiling sympathetically at him around her mouth full of sandwich, it felt like fate. 

The hour passed quickly as they ate Brienne's carefully prepared picnic dinner and talked about museums and history and the best running paths in King's Landing. 

“Aegon's Hill is more of a challenge,” Jaime was saying when there was a knock on his office door. They'd been debating the merits of Dragonpit Park versus Aegon's Hill; Brienne arguing for the Dragonpit's length, Jaime insisting on the Hill's intensity. He glanced at the clock – it wasn't quite nine-fifteen. 

“Excuse me,” he told Brienne, getting up to open the door. Ygritte stood in the hallway, her arms clenched around herself, face twisted anxiously. 

“Sorry to bother you, but we've got a code 2.” 

Jaime sighed. “I'll be right back,” he promised Brienne. He heard her asking Ygritte “What's a code 2?” as he hurried down the hallway. 

A code 2 meant someone who'd had too much to drink and needed help being convinced to leave. Tyrion had come up with it for his diner, had thought himself so clever because it stood for “time 2 go.” But it was easy to remember and hide from other customers when needed so Jaime had adopted it for his own business. 

The customer from earlier, the pilsner drinker, had five empty glasses in front of him and was nearly shouting at Roz while everyone else ignored him or watched curiously. Jaime glared at everyone not bothering to help the obviously uncomfortable woman. 

“Hey,” he said to her as he walked up, slipping gently in-between her and the man. “Go find another seat for now, I'll take care of this.” Roz nodded, grateful, and hurried to a back table. 

“What the fuck, man? I was working my mojo!” the man bleated, grabbing Jaime's shoulder. 

Jaime let the man turn him, took in the watery eyes and red cheeks, his limited ability to focus. “Time to head home,” Jaime said calmly. “Ygritte has called you a cab already, you can wait outside for it.” That was standard protocol for a code 2, so they wouldn't have to let the disruptor stay inside the bar. About fifty percent of the time, it worked. The rest of the time it went like this: the man stood from his chair, a little shorter and definitely less muscular than Jaime, and bumped his chest into Jaime's. 

“What if I don't? What are you gonna do then, pretty boy?”

Jaime sighed. Every time it was some snide remark about his looks. “Just once I wish one of you would be original,” he muttered, before grabbing the man's arm, turning his body around swiftly, and twisting his arm up and behind his back. Jaime clenched his other hand in the man's collar and started marching him to the door. The man gasped in shock and at least some pain, since Jaime wasn't being particularly careful. “I collect replica swords, too, you know,” Jaime said conversationally. “I go to fantasy conventions. You could call me a dork instead.” 

“I-I didn't- _ow_ ,” the man yelped when Jaime twisted a little harder. “I didn't know!”

“Because you never look past someone's face. Or their breasts in some cases. I never have this problem with my women customers. Just the men. Open the door, will you?”

The man reached out gingerly with his free arm and Jaime eased the pressure a little so he could do as he'd been told, and then re-tightened his grip immediately when the door swung open. It was another cool night even though it was late spring. Summer was taking her sweet time this year. 

Jaime shoved the man out the door and blocked the entrance with his body. “You'll wait here for your cab, you'll go home and hopefully wake up with the mother of all hangovers, and then you won't come back to my bar again. Is that clear?” 

The man was rubbing his arm and glaring at the ground, but he nodded petulantly. 

“Good. Thanks for visiting The Lion's Den.” 

“Dork,” the man grumbled as Jaime slammed the door closed. When he turned around, he spotted Brienne standing at the edge of the hallway staring at him. She didn't look offended or scared or annoyed, she looked...

 _Oh_ he thought, feeling a surge of heat when she licked her lips. 

A weird, primitive pride made him lift his chin a little and smile slowly at her. He was rewarded with a truly epic blush. Brienne hurried back down the hall and though Jaime wanted to rush after her, he stopped to check on Roz, talked briefly with Ygritte to discover that the customer had apparently gone from quiet to obnoxious so fast she hadn't realized how drunk he was, and checked the time. Almost nine-thirty. Crap. 

“Give me a few extra minutes,” he told Ygritte and she waved him off. 

“I've got this. Go finish your date. Lass looked like she was watching the Warrior himself and it was riling her up something bad.” 

“Gods,” he groaned, “please stop.”

“Thin walls!” she reminded him as he hurriedly made for his office. 

The door was open just an inch, so Jaime knocked softly, heard Brienne say “Come in?” in a confused voice. When he stepped inside she looked up and then swiftly away from him, fresh heat flooding down her neck. 

Jaime sauntered over to the table and sat one hip up on it. “Sorry about the interruption,” he said. “We don't get a lot of those, but they have to be dealt with right away when we do.”

“It's fine,” she mumbled. “You were...you handled that really well.”

He shrugged. “I took some classes. My break is almost over, unfortunately, and I should get back out there, let Ygritte have a few minutes to relax.” She hated when a customer was too disruptive for her to handle, and Jaime had insisted he be called first when he was working with either her or Pod. He didn't pay them to risk their safety on behalf of the bar; that was on him, if he was there. 

Brienne nodded and started stuffing the picnic remains back in her paper bag. Jaime tried to help but her hands darted too quickly, nerves making her hard to catch. She rolled it up and when she stood he stood with her, so they were only a handspan apart. 

“Can you get home okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I drove,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. 

“Thanks for coming down here on your day off,” he said softly. 

“It was, um, I had fun.”

He smiled. “Me too. Except for the last part.” Jaime watched her pupils widen as she thought about it and he leaned in and kissed her cheek gently. “Good night, Brienne-with-the-fish.” 

“G-good night. Jaime,” she added hastily, like she'd briefly forgotten his name. 

He grinned as he walked her back to the front door to make sure the code 2 was gone; he grinned when he watched her walk down the street and stop at a car much too small for her, open the door, and give him a little wave; and he was still grinning when he finally got home after work, threw himself onto his bed, and fell asleep thinking about the soft skin of her cheek under his lips.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime was just being friendly because she'd been cheated on and he'd seen her as a kindred spirit. The fact that her own friends had not asked to see her every day since the break-up was only because they were busy with their own lives and they all knew she hadn't loved Hyle anyway. 
> 
> Still. It was nice that he asked. With his own breakup only months before, he must have remembered what those early days were like. Not that a man like Jaime probably ever lacked for willing company. Brienne was never really alone with all her fish, but it was nice to talk to a person, especially a handsome, funny one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I have available to me all the time writing HFoG used to take up, I plan to work on this WIP and several other things before I settle in my with next long fic. I do have an outline for this story now, but it's mostly "here they are being cute," "here they are being cute in a different way," "oh look, they're cute again." So if you're looking for an angst-free, minimal pining story about two softies quickly falling for each other with occasional fish: do I have the fic for you.

Tuesday, Brienne was pulling into the lone employee parking spot behind her store when her phone dinged. 

**Jaime L.** : Good morning, Brienne WTF

She smiled down at the phone and started to type in an answer, then stopped. Would it look weird if she answered him right away? Although since she'd started typing he would have seen that she was responding and now he might be wondering why she'd stopped. How had technology made communication _more_ complicated? 

**Me** : Good morning

Jaime's response was swifter than hers. 

**Jaime L.** : I assume you got home all right?  
**Me** : Yep. Safe and sound.  
**Jaime L.** : Good. I was going to text but didn't want to seem like a stalker.  
**Me** : I think it's very chivalrous  
**Jaime L.** : Yeah? Then I'll do it next time. 

Next time. He kept saying that, and it kept proving true; they'd seen each other three days in a row now, which was the most she'd ever seen any man not her father or brother. Even Hyle hadn't ever wanted to get together three days in a row. 

**Jaime L.** : Speaking of next time  
**Jaime L.** : You're at your shop today, right?  
**Me** : Yeah. Store's closed but I need to feed everybody.  
**Jaime L.** : Cool. I was wondering  
**Jaime L.** : You can say no  
**Jaime L.** : You really can say no  
**Jaime L.** : Anyway I was wondering  
**Jaime L.** : This might be really presumptuous

There was nothing after that and Brienne huffed and shook her phone. 

**Me** : It's not anything right now. What are you wondering?  
**Jaime L.** : I thought I could come help you feed your fish.  
**Jaime L.** : If you wanted.  
**Jaime L.** : But you can say no.  
**Me** : Why would I say no?  
**Jaime L.** : Maybe you wanted some alone time.  
**Me** : I get plenty of alone time

She winced. Why did she always end up sounding so desperate when she texted with him? 

**Jaime L.** : I'm pretty good company  
**Jaime L.** : I think  
**Me** : You are. 

He sent her back a string of smiley faces that made her grin at the phone. 

**Me** : How are you at feeding fish though?  
**Jaime L.** : Let's just say I'm a fast learner

Brienne snickered out loud. 

**Me** : I'll be here for a couple of hours. If you really want, you can come by any time. Knock on the front door and I'll let you in.  
**Jaime L.** : You're already there?  
**Jaime L.** : You're an early riser  
**Jaime L.** : That's good information to have

She couldn't imagine _why_ , except for one very specific reason, and she felt her face immediately overheat just thinking about it. Jaime was just being friendly because she'd been cheated on and he'd seen her as a kindred spirit. The fact that her own friends had not asked to see her every day since the break-up was only because they were busy with their own lives and they all knew she hadn't loved Hyle anyway. 

Still. It was nice that he asked. With his own breakup only months before, he must have remembered what those early days were like. Not that a man like Jaime probably ever lacked for willing company. Brienne was never really alone with all her fish, but it was nice to talk to a person, especially a handsome, funny one. Her phone dinged again.

**Jaime L.** : I'm not keeping a file on you or anything  
**Jaime L.** : Just in case you were worried

She started to type a response when more messages came in. 

**Jaime L.** : That was funnier in my head  
**Jaime L.** : I feel like I'm much better at this in person  
**Jaime L.** : Talking, I mean  
**Jaime L.** : So why don't I go take a shower and I'll come over there and I can prove it  
**Jaime L.** : Don't feed everybody without me!  
**Me** : I won't, I promise. See you soon

Shaking her head at the absurdity of all of it – his texts, her eagerness to see him, the fact he was coming over at all – Brienne let herself into the shop and locked the door behind her. 

“Hello, friends,” she said as she walked from the back storage area to the store proper. The lights in the aquariums were on, the filters whirring pleasantly, and she felt instantly at ease. “We're having a visitor today, so I expect you all to be on your best behavior.” 

Arthur, from his bowl at the desk, blooped at her. 

“Even you,” she told him. “No hiding behind your cave when I want to show him how pretty you are.” 

Not that Jaime would likely care. She had to remind herself he was coming over just to help a little, and he did not need or want a three-hour lecture on the way she'd decided to organize her store by species. 

“I bet he'll like you though,” she told Arthur. He blooped at her again, obviously hungry. Brienne realized she had no idea how soon 'soon' was. Jaime could be thirty minutes away, or sixty. His bar wasn't too far from her store, but she had no idea where he actually lived.

She was still gathering up all the food and coming up with a plan for how best to split their time, when there was a knock on the front door, startling her. It had been less than twenty minutes since he'd said he was getting ready, but there Jaime was at the front door, peering inside the still-dark store interior. 

Brienne hurried over and unlocked the door, and then had to remind herself how breathing worked when he stepped inside, hair wet, skin still gleaming like he'd gotten out of the shower a minute ago. He had on comfortably-worn black jeans and a deep blue t-shirt and he smelled _amazing_. 

“Hi,” he said, flashing her a happy smile. “It's good to see you.” 

“How did you get here so fast?” she said, and his smile wavered a little. 

“I live nearby.”

“But how? Do you live over your bar or something?” 

“Something like that.” Jaime rubbed his hands together. They were nice hands, calloused and with long fingers. They looked strong and well-used. “I'm here to work! What do I do first?” 

She forced herself to meet his eyes. They still weren't any less distracting than they'd been the first night, all soft and amused and interested in what she had to say. Brienne focused very hard on what she'd been doing before he'd come in and thrown her brain off-balance. 

“I... Oh! I was getting food ready. Do you want a tour?”

“Absolutely.” He rested his hands on his hips and looked around, and he did actually look curious about the store. 

“Okay, well, why don't we start here with the tetras,” she said, leading him to the nearest set of tanks. 

The tour took almost an hour. Brienne tried to keep her boundless fish knowledge to a minimum, but Jaime asked enough questions – and paid enough attention to her answers – that once she started talking, she couldn't stop. Hyle had only ever come inside her shop once, and he'd been so disinterested she hadn't even introduced him to Arthur. By the time they made it back to the front counter where Arthur was flitting impatiently around in his bowl, her throat hurt a little and she was certain there would be no 'next times' after this. 

“This is Arthur,” she said, pointing at him. 

“That's a... betta, right?” Jaime asked, and Brienne smiled encouragingly. 

“Yep. He's my favorite,” she admitted. 

Jaime leaned down and crossed his arms on the counter, going eye-to-eye with the fish. “My competition,” he said seriously. “Well-met.”

Arthur flicked his tail at Jaime. 

“He's hungry,” Brienne explained. “Do you want to feed him?” 

“Will he like me better if I do?”

“Probably not,” she said, unable to help smiling down at the fish. 

She opened the small container of freeze-dried bloodworms and Jaime's whole face wrinkled as the smell wafted out. 

“What is _that_?” he asked. 

“Bettas are carnivores. They're much happier if you don't just feed them flakes or pellets every day. These really should be live, but they're annoying to store so I go with freeze-dried. Hold out your hand.”

He stared at her, then looked at the worms, then back at her. 

“Don't be a baby,” she said, rolling her eyes. “They're not even alive.” 

Jaime held his hand out tentatively towards her, and Brienne shook a few worms into it. They looked as tiny in his palm as they did in hers. 

“Just drop them in,” she said, and Jaime did, quickly, before scrubbing his hand on his thigh. Brienne snorted, but they both leaned down to watch Arthur darting after the food in excitement, his iridescent fins flipping and trailing behind him like small flags. 

“That's a good-looking fish,” Jaime said, looking at her, and when Brienne turned to say something, she realized how close their heads were, their faces only a few inches apart. She could see from here that Jaime's eyes had flecks of gold that matched the color of his curling hair. He'd missed shaving a spot along the edge of his jaw, and those stray hairs were the same gold, too. His tongue was pink and soft and wet when he licked his lips. 

“Good-looking,” she agreed. Jaime's mouth curled into a slow smile. 

“You think so?” he asked softly. 

“Yeah,” she whispered. One of them could lean forward and break this spell; it wouldn't even take much of a lean, just a jut of her head towards his and she could kiss him. 

Brienne straightened abruptly and Jaime stumbled back with the sudden movement. She and Hyle had been broken up for _three days_. She couldn't kiss someone else already. What was she thinking? 

_That in eight months I never wanted to kiss Hyle as much as I want to kiss Jaime right now._

“We should feed everybody else,” she said hurriedly. “Here.” She nearly threw a bottle of fish flakes at him. “Just throw some in each of the tanks.” And then she fled to the back of the store.

* * *

Jaime stared at the bottle of food in his hand, then to where Brienne had retreated, and then back down at the bottle. 

“What the hell just happened?” he asked Arthur, who only seemed to be eyeing Jaime hungrily for more worms. 

He was certain Brienne wanted to kiss him. A hundred percent. A thousand percent. A hundred thousand percent. And he was a million percent sure he wanted to kiss her. So why was he now alone with this judgmental fish and a bottle of fish flakes that, when he opened it, smelled terrible. 

Jaime went to the tetra tanks and started sprinkling food in, watching them dart up and around to suck it out of the water into their tiny little mouths. They were cute, he had to admit. Not as cute as Brienne talking about them though, her blue eyes like two sunlit pools just from her excitement. Her whole face glowing while she taught him about her fish; the elegant motion of her pale, long-fingered hands as she pointed out her favorites. Her butt when she bent over to show him the turtles in the lower tanks. 

He grinned, feeding the fish what seemed like a reasonable amount. Jaime had to admit he'd asked to linger near the turtles longer than was probably polite, but even in her loose men's jeans, the curve of her thigh was captivating. 

She'd looked up at him at one point and he'd wondered if she was on to him, if she'd throw him out of her store and he wouldn't get to see her big-eyed wonder at the little aquarium frogs ever again, but she'd just blushed, a charming pink and red wave over her face, and moved them to the next tank. 

Surely she wanted to kiss him. He could see her head over the racks of empty aquarium sets, her long arm reaching up to feed the fish on the top rows. Jaime had only ever been with Cersei, but he didn't think he'd misread Brienne that badly. 

_Ask her_ , he told himself. 

_But what if she says she really_ doesn't _want to kiss me?_

_Ask her, you coward._

Jaime frowned at the fish in front of him. When had his inner voice turned into a bully? 

It was right, though. He capped the fish food and nodded his head at the fish. “I'll be back,” he promised them, setting the container near the tank and then winding through the racks towards Brienne. When he got there, she was staring down at her phone, glaring. 

“Everything all right?” he asked and she jerked, nearly dropping her phone into the tank nearest her. “Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.”

“It's fine. It's...” She glared at her phone again and shoved it angrily in her back pocket. “It's just Hyle.”

Hyle the cheater. Jaime frowned. “What does he want?”

“He wants to come get a few things at my apartment.” 

“You should throw them on the sidewalk.” 

Brienne gave him a disapproving look. “What if they get stolen?”

“Then he shouldn't have done what he did,” Jaime said firmly. “Would serve him right.” 

She looked back at the tanks, but he could see the faint fingers of a blush crawling down her neck. He wanted to follow it down the long length to see where it disappeared. “I told him he can come by after we're done here.” 

“Let me come with you,” Jaime said suddenly. 

Brienne's mouth formed into a shocked _o_. “Why?”

“You shouldn't have to face him alone,” Jaime said. “I remember the first time I saw Cersei after we broke up; it was tough.”

She couldn't quite meet his eyes. “What on earth will he think if I meet him with you there?”

“That you're being supported by a friend.” And if Hyle thought it was more than that, well, Jaime wouldn't stop him. He was hoping it would be true soon enough anyway. 

“Are we friends?” she asked, staring very intently at the little yellow fish swimming happily, unaware of the nervous warble in their tall caretaker's voice. 

Jaime licked his lips, studying her. “Yes,” he said, sincerely, because he certainly liked her enough to be her friend even after only a few days. He wanted to add “for now,” but she seemed so skittish just accepting his help here, he didn't want to scare her away entirely. Hyle first, then he could broach the subject of more after. Closure with her terrible ex-boyfriend might be just the thing. 

He offered her a warm grin and tilted his head down and to the side, until she couldn't avoid catching his eye. A tiny, shy smile curled her lips. Lips he very much wanted to get to know better. After she finished with Hyle. 

“All right,” she said. “You can come with me.” She looked at the fish food in her hand. “Are you done feeding the other fish already?”

Right. He'd come over here to talk her into kissing him. Jaime cleared his throat. “No, I just wanted you to make sure I wasn't overfeeding them.”

“Oh, of course, come on. I'll show you and then we can head back to, um, my place.” Jaime didn't miss the way her pupils widened in the deep blue of her eyes as she said it, even if she ducked her head and hurried by him almost immediately after. 

Her cheeks were still bright pink when he joined her on his side of the store. She _definitely_ wanted to kiss him. Once Hyle was entirely behind her, he'd make sure he arranged the opportunity to let her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because he'd apparently walked to her store from wherever he was living – and she tried very hard to ignore the little thrill that he was so nearby all the time – Brienne had agreed to drive him, since she couldn't convince him not to come with her. To her apartment. To meet her ex-boyfriend. 
> 
> This was a terrible idea.

“Why do you drive the world's tiniest car when you have such long legs?” Jaime asked when Brienne led him out of the store later. 

“It's more gas efficient,” she said, shrugging a little. “And easier to park on my street.” 

He stared skeptically at it before opening the door and cramming himself into the passenger seat. Because he'd apparently walked to her store from wherever he was living – and she tried very hard to ignore the little thrill that he was so nearby all the time – Brienne had agreed to drive him, since she couldn't convince him not to come with her. To her apartment. To meet her ex-boyfriend. 

This was a terrible idea. 

Jaime grunted and shifted and then shut the door. “Off we go!” he said, grinning at her. Even with the easy smile he still looked almost as uncomfortable as she was in the tiny space. And shockingly close, his shoulders easily spanning the seat back, his thighs bunched as he pulled them up. Brienne hurriedly redirected her gaze to the dashboard. 

“Off we go,” she repeated in a high, awkward voice. 

Once she'd shown him how much food was reasonable per tank, they'd worked well together – Jaime getting all the easy fish fed in a manner that she imagined he also used to fill routine drink orders at the bar, while she took care of the more complicated animals, like Horas and Hobber. Though when she was done feeding the turtles, she wondered if she should have offered to let Jaime do it instead; both times she'd been by their tank he'd seemed especially interested. 

_Maybe next time_ , she thought, and then shook her head at herself. Now even she was doing it with the casual “next times.” At some point Jaime was going to stop feeling so sorry for her, and even if they remained friends it was unlikely he'd spend another workday morning helping her feed her fish. Which was too bad – they did get done remarkably quickly doing it together, with both feeding and the health check-ins. She'd needed to apply another course of fin rot medication to her bullied Oscar, Hyle, a fish she'd named after her now ex-boyfriend because she'd gotten them both at the same time and thought he'd appreciate the gesture. When she'd told him she named a fish after him, he'd been utterly unimpressed, but she'd kept calling the fish Hyle anyway, thinking the man would come around. 

Now she wished Hyle the human had gotten the fin rot and not her sweet little fish, who'd had the misfortune of her apparently finding the world's meanest Jack Dempsey. 

Brienne called that one Ron. 

“How did you get into fish?” Jaime asked her as she motored along the city streets and regretted her penchant for naming so many of her favorite charges after people she knew. 

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and he was turned as much as he could in the seat to look at her. He had the same open, interested expression he had when he asked her fish questions, and if he was faking all of this interest, he was damned good at it. 

“I grew up on an island,” she said. “All that water around, I was bound to be interested by it. I had pet fish growing up. My brother, Galladon, always wanted a dog, but I just wanted fish.” 

“What about a dogfish?” Jaime said and she snorted. 

“Gal would like you; he made that same joke at least fifty times as kids.”

“Does he live here, too?”

“No, he's still on Tarth with my dad. They run a whale-watching and diving tourism place. I used to do scuba tours in the summers when I was in high school or visiting from college.” She and Gal would team up, leading experienced and inexperienced divers alike into Tarth's sapphire waters. Brienne's memories of her childhood had plenty of bad parts, especially Ron Connington, but these days she mostly remembered those long, sun-washed summer days, playing in the ocean with her brother and the fish. 

“You know how to scuba dive?”

Jaime sounded genuinely impressed and she bit her lip and flushed a little. “Yeah, I'm open water certified and I used to be certified as a rescue diver, but I let that lapse with the business. It was too hard to keep up.” 

“Do you think you could teach me?”

“Sure, almost anybody can learn to dive.” 

“No, I mean, will you please teach me?” Jaime looked hopefully at her, and then added in a rush: “I'll pay you for your time. I'm not asking for free lessons or anything. I always wanted to learn and just... didn't. It seems like fate.”

Brienne blinked and stared at the road. She'd been thinking meeting Jaime at the bar had felt like fate, too, but not because she was going to teach him to scuba dive. “Yeah, I'd, um, be happy to teach you.”

“You don't have to.”

“No, I-I want to,” she said quickly. Too quickly. “We'll just have to figure out schedules.”

“Great!” Jaime leaned back in the seat, though he was so confined by the small space that it was more that he just straightened out a little. 

It was quiet as she drove, Jaime tapping some random beat on his knees and staring out the window while Brienne considered everything he'd said. 

“You don't have to pay for it,” she said abruptly as they neared her apartment.

“Pay... for... the diving?”

“Yeah. I'll do it for free. I don't believe in charging friends.” Gods she was blushing _again_. 

“I'm a friend.”

“Then you don't have to pay.” He nodded and grinned happily at her and she smiled back and then had to swerve when someone in a parked car threw open their door right in their path. 

Brienne stayed silent and focused on the road the remainder of the drive. 

When they were parked, her little econo-car fitting into a small parallel spot, Brienne sat and tried not to panic about bringing Jaime up to her apartment. Her apartment filled with fish tanks, and her fish pillows, and her stacks of fish books. Oh gods, and that talking fish clock Margaery had gotten her as a joke but Brienne had grown secretly really fond of and had hanging right out in the living room where anyone could see it. It was bad enough Jaime had listened to her talk for multiple hours now about the fish at work. She couldn't let him see her home. 

Plus she was pretty sure she'd left her favorite silk underwear hanging up to dry on her shower curtain rod and if he had to use her bathroom then it was all over. 

She climbed out of the car and rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans. He'd come all this way, what was she going to do? 

“I see what you mean about the parking,” Jaime said, examining the minimal space between her car and the next. “Nice job, though.”

“You don't need to come up with me. You can just stay down here,” she said and he frowned. 

“I don't mind. I did come all this way just for this.”

Phooey. Luckily, she was struck with rare inspiration. “I don't want Hyle to come up either. I'll text him and bring his stuff down and we can meet him out here on the sidewalk.” 

“I like it. Makes a strong statement. Let's go get his stuff.”

“No!” Jaime blinked. “I mean, you stay here, in case he's nearby already. You can stop him from coming up.”

“I don't know what he looks like.”

“Oh.” Brienne pulled out her phone and flipped through her photos. There were lots of fish, some of her and her friends, some from Galladon and her father, and there, from months and months ago when they'd first started dating, one of her with Hyle. They were standing next to each other, and though they were both smiling, Brienne's was a lot bigger. She sighed but showed Jaime the photo and he examined it closely. 

“Yep, he looks like a dickhead.” 

She laughed a little and took her phone back. “I wish I'd known that back then.”

“I don't. Then you might never have come in my bar,” Jaime said, soft and sincere, and Brienne flushed and fumbled for her keys. 

“I'll be back in a few minutes,” she mumbled, hurrying into her building, texting Hyle on her way. When she got to her apartment, she went to the window and peered down at the street. Jaime was kneeling down, petting the dog of an elderly woman. As Brienne watched, a pair of women her age walked up and ignored the dog entirely to talk to Jaime. He looked up at them and smiled, but Brienne could tell it was the same polite smile he'd used at his bar for the other patrons the first night she'd met him: close-lipped and not encouraging. 

Brienne suspected he employed that smile a lot when he was out, given how he looked. It was a little ironic that they both attracted unwanted attention from strangers, though for very different reasons. There was some movement on the sidewalk just at the edge of her vision and Jaime, the three women, and the dog all turned and Brienne craned her head too quickly towards her window to see what it was and ended up smacking her forehead – loudly – against the glass. 

Jaime looked up towards her window and before she could recover he spotted her, and the smile he gave her wasn't anything like the one he'd given the women. This one was white teeth and red lips and even a flash of pink tongue as he beamed up at her. He waved and she rubbed her forehead with one hand and waved shyly with the other. The two women eyed her and then him before continuing on their way. 

Brienne found a couple of empty plastic bags and put Hyle's things into them: an extra toothbrush, the toothpaste he liked since he adamantly insisted he hated hers, the instant coffee he would only drink, a shirt of his she'd kept even though it didn't fit her at all. But she'd leave it out sometimes when he came over so he could see she'd been thinking of him, though he'd never commented on it. And a book about how to be a millionaire by the time you're thirty, which Hyle was not on schedule for in the slightest. 

Not that Brienne had ever cared if he had money or not. She'd only ever wanted his time and attention. 

She put the extra plastic bag back and headed downstairs again. The dog and its owner were gone, too, and Jaime was balancing on one foot on the curb, his arms spread wide. Hyle would have been staring impatiently at his phone, would have given her an aggrieved look for having had to wait for her at all, not the welcoming shine of Jaime's face as she approached. 

Gods, how had she not realized how terrible Hyle was? Her own desperation to be in a relationship was mortifying to look at too directly. 

“You're sure you don't want to just leave it on the sidewalk and go do something fun instead?”

“Don't you have to get to work soon?” she asked, but she was smiling, too. 

“I do. But I've got time for you.” 

Brienne's heart fluttered madly and she glanced at her phone. Hyle had sent her a single, tersely worded “Ok” in response to her text. She hoped that meant he was on his way. 

“Why'd you leave Tarth, if you have family and a cool job there?” Jaime asked after they'd seated themselves on a nearby low wall to wait. 

“I went to KLU for school. Marine biology.”

“Of course,” he said, gently teasing. 

“Then I hung around trying to get a job at the aquarium and somehow acquired a fish shop in the process.” 

“Somehow?” He lifted one golden eyebrow curiously. “You don't just accidentally open your own business.” 

“No, I guess you don't. I'd been working at someone else's pet store while I was looking for other work and they did such a terrible job with their fish section, I knew I could do better. So five years ago I opened Evenstar Fish and Aquariums.”

“And Evenstar is...?”

“A Tarth thing. Sort of an old family legacy.” 

Jaime nodded. “I think it's great.” 

“What about you?” she asked, bumping her shoulder gently into his. 

He bumped her back, warm and solid. “What about me?”

“Why the bar?”

Jaime folded his hands in his lap, tapped his heels back against the wall. “A couple of years into my relationship with Cersei, I wanted something for myself. I told you, my family's pretty well-off?” Brienne nodded. “We're... really well-off. I had a bunch of odd jobs for years, and then didn't do much of anything worthwhile those first couple of years with her. But Tyrion opened his place and seemed to enjoy the challenge and I thought I'd try my own business, too. Put that business degree to use,” he added, smirking a little. “Fortunately I turned out to actually be good at owning a bar.”

“You weren't sure?” Brienne had spent months researching and preparing before she'd even considered opening her store, and even then she'd been terrified and anxious for the first year. 

“I'm kind of a jump-into-the-deep-end guy.” He laid his hand next to hers on the wall, the sides of their hands touching. Brienne's heart beat harder. “In this case, I learned to swim quickly.” 

“You seem like you're a good swimmer,” she said, her voice unexpectedly hoarse when he curled his pinky finger over top of hers. 

“With the right motivation,” he said and his voice was low and promising. She remembered being inches from his face earlier in her shop, the sweet puff of his breath, the shine in his eyes. He was rubbing his pinky along the top of hers, slow, steady strokes that were making it impossible to focus on anything else. Brienne wondered if he'd kiss like that, too, and nearly fell off the wall when she heard Hyle's voice. 

“Hello, Brienne.”

“Hyle!” she gasped, stumbling to her feet. “You're here.” 

“You asked me to come.” He looked exactly the same: floppy brown hair, hazel eyes, ordinary face. She'd thought him handsome enough when they met in the bar, and he still was. But when Jaime stood and the two were within easy comparison, well. It was unfair to Hyle. 

“I did.” Brienne held out the bag, the rustling loud even on the city street. “This is your stuff.” 

Hyle took it and pawed through what was there, glaring. “This is it? I thought I left some other things; you should let me look.”

“No, Hyle. You're not allowed in my apartment again.” It was easier to say that than she'd feared.

“I'm suddenly not good enough for the shitty apartment where you begged me to fuck you?”

“Hey,” Jaime said, and even that one word was a riptide Hyle seemed entirely unaware of as he turned to face Jaime. 

“Who the fuck are you?”

“This is my friend Jaime,” Brienne said. “He's here to support me.” 

Hyle sneered at them both. “Support you in what? Facing your big, bad, ex that you dumped because of a mistake?”

“You cheated on me,” she said, gaping. “And not just a one-night stand – I saw those texts.”

“Why were you snooping in my phone, anyway?” 

“You asked me to send a happy birthday message to your mother for you because you were too busy napping!” 

“Wow,” Jaime said, tucking his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans. “You're a real class A douchebag, aren't you?”

People were walking by them on the street, ignoring their small drama for now, but Brienne heard a nearby window slide open and she knew it had to be nosy Mrs. P. 

“Who are you again, asshole?” Hyle demanded.

“Jaime.” 

Hyle snorted. “I don't remember Brienne having any friends named Jaime.”

“Well now she does,” Jaime said. Everything about him was loose: easy, slightly wide-legged stance, his sloping smile, his muscular shoulders. Everything except his eyes, which were sharp as glass, the edges crinkled with tension. Brienne had seen Jaime in this same state of casual readiness when he'd taken on the drunk guy at his bar last night. That hadn't worked out well for the drunk guy, and it wasn't going to go well for Hyle, either, if he kept at it; he seemed to have no idea of what type of wild creature he was poking. 

_I should warn him_ , she thought, staying silent. 

“Ohhhh,” Hyle was saying. He sneered at Jaime. “Saw an opportunity and you took it.”

“An opportunity for what?” Jaime asked, still light on the surface but churning in the deep green of his eyes. How in the world did Hyle not see it? 

“To make a move when she was lonely and desperate.” 

Or maybe he saw and just didn't care. He believed that Brienne was repulsive enough that every other man would automatically be on his side. 

“It's not like that,” Brienne said, and her voice was softer than she wanted but it didn't shake, and for that she was grateful. 

“Of course it's not,” Hyle said, rolling his eyes. “So has she let you fuck her yet or--”

Whatever the alternative was, Brienne never got to hear, because Jaime had moved as fast as an attacking shark and was doing something to Hyle's hand that had him squealing and whimpering and crouching down like he was about to fall to his knees. Hyle clawed at Jaime's forearm but that did nothing except make Jaime angrier from the look of it.

“I hope you're a good listener, Hyle, because I'm only going to tell you this once,” Jaime said, and if Hyle had missed the threat in Jaime's tone before, the way his eyes were mostly white and very scared suggested he wasn't missing it now. “If you ever text Brienne again, or call her, or stop by her store, or happen to be at the airport at the same time and you see her five gates away and you even think about saying hello, I'm going to find out. And do you know what I'm going to do when I find out?”

Hyle shook his head, no, very quickly, still making pathetic, pained noises in his throat. 

“The human hand has twenty-seven bones,” Jaime said, twisting Hyle's wrist a little more until Hyle was kneeling on the concrete. “And I'm going to break each one individually. Understood?”

This time Hyle nodded his head so fast Brienne wondered if he was dizzy from it. She was dizzy from what Jaime was doing, but for an entirely different reason. 

“Good.” He let Hyle go, and Hyle cradled his hand against his chest from where he knelt on the sidewalk. 

“Oh snap,” Mrs. P said from her window. The tiny, frail-looking woman peered down at them from behind her big, owl-eyed glasses. 

Hyle climbed to his feet, awkward and slow, glaring at Jaime and ignoring Brienne entirely. She wondered if he really was arrogant enough to push his luck. 

“You better run home, boy,” Mrs. P shouted from above. Brienne briefly covered her face. 

“Why don't you listen to the nice lady?” Jaime said. 

Hyle shoved past Jaime, though Brienne could see he barely brushed Jaime's shoulder with his own. She thought she heard him mutter something as he scurried away, but he wasn't brave enough to say it clearly. 

Jaime scooped up the plastic bag Hyle had left on the ground and called out, “Hey, Hyle.” 

When Hyle turned, he looked nervous, his neck pulled into his body like a turtle. Or a shrunken penis. Brienne smothered an entirely inappropriate laugh. 

“You forgot your stuff,” Jaime said, tossing the bag to Hyle, who tried his best to catch it but winced when it hit his hand and the bag collapsed to the ground, his things falling out. “Oops,” Jaime said blithely. 

Above them, Mrs. P cackled in delight. 

Jaime turned his back on Hyle and though Brienne tried to focus, it was distracting watching Hyle shoving his meagre items back into the bag before hurrying away, glowering. 

“Is he gone?” Jaime asked. 

“Like an unwanted cockroach,” Mrs. P informed them. Jaime tilted his head back to look up at her. “You're a handsome one, aren't you?” she said, and he gave her a dazzling smile. 

“I like to think so.” 

“Keep this one, Brienne, he's an upgrade.”

Brienne's face went hot and she looked up at Mrs. P, too, mostly to avoid meeting Jaime's curious stare. “We're friends, Mrs. P.” 

“It doesn't look like you're just friends from up here. Why don't you kiss her, handsome?” 

It was like the sun itself had dropped directly onto Brienne, and was roasting her from the inside out, her blush was so complete. She could feel Jaime watching her intently, but there was no way she was going to look at him. Whatever his response was to Mrs. P's suggestion, Brienne was certain she didn't want to see it. 

He leaned nearer and she darted her gaze all around, still not meeting his eyes, her body frozen, her heart wanting him to kiss her more than anything but her brain insisting he wouldn't. Jaime gently pressed his lips to her cheek and then leaned away again. 

“Not like that!” Mrs. P protested. “Use some tongue!”

Jaime laughed a little, his head falling forward so his temple brushed Brienne's. 

“You don't have to,” Brienne whispered in his ear, the lobe close enough to her mouth she could have tugged on it with her teeth. 

“It seems inappropriate to kiss a woman like that unless we go on an official date first,” Jaime agreed quietly, his voice light with mirth. 

Brienne considered how out of line it would be to make a joke about this being the weirdest first date in history, but she couldn't get her tongue to work at all. 

“I can't have dinner tonight,” Jaime continued. “Ygritte's going to the game with her boyfriend and I'm working the bar alone.”

Brienne's heart – having already been through enough calisthenics today it surely had grown its own set of muscles – gave one hard, sad thump and readied itself for disappointment. She'd known this was all just friendly at best; she blamed Mrs. P for forcing the kissing issue and making her face the unavoidable reality more quickly, though. 

“That's all right,” Brienne managed. She took a step away from Jaime and tried for an understanding smile but wasn't sure she got much further than 'brave little toaster.' “I understand. I have to be back in the store tomorrow. I appreciate all your help with Hyle and your time and everything. It was nice to meet you.”

Jaime's frown contorted his entire face, everything pulling towards a deeply confused center. “It was nice to meet you, too?”

“Thanks,” she said, faintly. She had to get out of here. Except – _shit_. She still had to drive him home. “Um. Can I take you back to your place now? To drop you off,” she added quickly. 

“I can call for a ride, I don't want you to lose this excellent spot.” He pulled out his phone and made quick arrangements then shut it off again. “Five minutes.” 

“Okay.”

Mrs. P muttered something that sounded an awful lot like _idiots_ and then slammed her window shut. 

“You're okay with what happened with Hyle?” Jaime asked tentatively. 

“Yeah. The more I think about what our relationship was like, the more embarrassed I am I stayed with him even as long as I did.” 

“I've got you beat on that front,” Jaime said, his mouth twisting in a self-deprecating smile. “I went years past when I should have left my ex.”

“I probably would have married him,” Brienne admitted. 

“ _Him?_ ” Jaime looked horrified. “Why do you think that?”

_Because no one else would take me_ was the truth, but not even Jaime, with his seemingly bottomless interest in everything she had to say, wanted to hear that. 

So instead she shrugged and looked down. 

“I'm off tomorrow,” Jaime said, out of nowhere. Brienne knew that, of course. From the moment he'd told her his schedule it had imprinted itself in her brain. Jaime might not be stalking her, but she was doing a terrifyingly good job of stalking him. 

“I'm working,” she responded. That seemed normal enough. 

“I know.” He shifted. He scratched his jaw. He briefly bit his lip. “I was wondering if I could stop by in the evening. See the fish.” 

Brienne's brows arched in disbelief. “See the fish?”

“Yeah. I feel like Arthur and I really bonded.”

She laughed, one loud, startled huff, and gestured vaguely. “I mean, sure. You can stop by whenever if the store is open. I don't have rules for entry.” 

“What about 'no shirt, no shoes, no service'?” he asked, grinning. 

“Okay, there's that rule.” Though if Jaime came into her store with no shirt and no shoes, she'd service him. And there was the sun again, melting her insides and making her skin look like she'd acquired a sudden and terrible burn all over. 

Jaime must have been able to read her thoughts because his grin turned downright flirty and Brienne was surprised she wasn't just a puddle on the sidewalk, oozing back to her apartment. 

“I'll keep that in mind,” was all he said, and she could have kissed him just for that. A car pulled up and double-parked near them and Jaime glanced down at his phone and sighed. “My ride's here,” he said, sounding extremely unenthused by the announcement. “But I'll see you tomorrow.” 

They hesitated and then Jaime held his arms out a little to the side. “Do you mind if I hug you?”

Brienne's brain ran through twenty different and increasingly humiliating scenarios of how she would respond to hugging Jaime, but the urge to do it anyway had her shoving them all aside. “No, that would be nice,” she said. Hyle had never been a big hugger. Hyle had never been big about much to do with her physically and, gods, discovering he was cheating was absolutely the best thing that had ever happened to her. 

Jaime smiled and wrapped his arms around her and Brienne couldn't breathe for a moment, captured in his tight embrace. His grip was strong but not suffocating; she felt supported, like she could melt into him and he'd have no problem holding her up. When she put her arms around him, he relaxed immediately into her touch, his chin resting perfectly on her shoulder. 

“Your shampoo smells nice,” she said, too overwhelmed by his heat and his scent and his heart beating against her chest to contain herself. Jaime laughed a little in her arms, and she could feel the rumble against her palms. 

This was a mistake she had not been fully prepared for. 

“Yours, too,” he said, and then he untangled himself and stepped back and she felt bereft. “Okay. Well. I should go.”

“Yeah.” Brienne wanted to yank him back into her arms. She wanted to yank him up into her apartment, fish clock be damned. She flushed and looked down. 

“I'll text you when I get home,” he said. “So you don't worry.” 

She glanced up at him and there was that smile, the one she hadn't seen him give anyone else. Maybe she would see him tomorrow. Maybe she'd feel brave enough to ask him out if she did. 

Jaime licked his lips and she watched it happen like it was in slow-motion: the smooth path of his tongue, the gleaming wetness he left behind. 

“See you tomorrow, Brienne-with-the-fish.” 

“Tomorrow,” she murmured. 

She watched Jaime get into the car and wave to her as the driver sped away almost as soon as he'd shut the door behind him. 

Forty minutes later she received a text.

**Jaime L.** : Safe at work.

She didn't bother trying to hide she'd been waiting to hear from him. 

**Me** : Glad to hear it.   
**Me** : Thanks again for all the help today.   
**Jaime L.** : It was my pleasure. 

Brienne wasn't sure how to respond to that in a way that wasn't objectively creepy or too needy so she just left it. A minute later there was another ding on her phone.

**Jaime L.** : Looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow.

She wondered if 'it will be the highlight of my day' was too much to respond with. Jaime saved her by sending her another text.

**Jaime L.** : It's too quiet in here. I miss the bubbles. I think I should get an aquarium for the bar. 

For once in her life, Brienne had exactly the right response. 

**Me** : You're in luck. I happen to know someone who could help you with that.   
**Jaime L.** : Is she very tall with great legs and incredible eyes?

That was not the response she had expected. Overwhelmed, Brienne set the phone down and took a minute to breathe. The phone dinged again. 

**Jaime L.** : (You know I meant you, right?)  
 **Me** : Yeah  
 **Me** : And yes she's very tall. 

Jaime took a little while, for him, to respond. Brienne watched the decorative pirate chest opening and closing in her tank while she waited. It was soothing, little bubbles escaping every time the gold inside was revealed. Her phone dinged again.

**Jaime L.** : I'll have to check on the other parts myself tomorrow.   
**Jaime L.** : Gotta get back to work. Sweet dreams, Brienne WTF.   
**Me** : You, too.  
 **Me** : Once you get to sleep.   
**Me** : Don't sleep at work. 

Jaime sent her a string of smiley faces that ended with a single red heart. She stared at that heart all night. 

Tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who sent a heart emoji to a woman he'd known less than a week that he wasn't even dating?

The next morning, closer to seven than eight, Jaime woke up, stared at the ceiling, and wondered what had possessed him to send Brienne that heart emoji. She hadn't responded since, even though they both had been awake long past when he sent it.

 _Too much, Lannister_ , he berated himself. That had always been Cersei's complaint: Jaime needed too much. Too much of her attention, too much of her time, too much of her love. Of course, she'd wanted the distance so she could do anything – and anyone – she pleased that wasn't Jaime. But maybe she was right. Who sent a heart emoji to a woman he'd known less than a week that he wasn't even dating? 

Jaime checked his phone one more time and then rolled out of bed with a groan. He hadn't woken before eight in the morning in far too long; he'd forgotten how bright everything was in the sunrise, the light coming in at an angle that sparkled off the pans hanging over the kitchen island when he went to get coffee. He half-expected a cartoon bird to fly to the balcony railing and start tweeting its obnoxious little head off. 

Maybe he should reach out to Brienne first to explain away the heart. Maybe he should be upfront about what he meant with it, that he was just feeling very _fondly_ towards her and wanted her to know. As a friend. It didn't have to mean anything else at all, just something friends would send to each other. 

_Fuck, I'm acting like a teenager_ , he thought, glaring at the coffee pot. 

He was an adult and he would act like one, and let the message sit until she responded to it. Or until he cracked, unable to ignore the pressure of that one foolish heart left unanswered. 

Jaime considered whether sending Brienne a simple good morning text would completely compromise his already crumbling resolve when Tysha came padding out of the master bedroom in a long robe and fuzzy slippers. 

“You're up early,” she said, kissing him quickly on the cheek as she did every time she saw him. 

“So are you. I thought you closed last night?”

“Tyrion wouldn't let me,” she said, sighing. She patted her abdomen and shrugged. “You know how he is now: only two late nights a week.” 

“You're not even three months along yet, doesn't he know women can work until they drop the baby standing up?”

Tysha wrinkled her nose at him and pulled out the special decaffeinated coffee Tyrion had bought just for her to use. “We're still in miscarriage range so he wants me to take it easy until I'm past fourteen weeks. I got my morning vomit out of the way and now I'm up. What about you? I know you worked late at the bar.” 

Jaime shrugged and poured himself a cup of real coffee. “Just woke up, I guess.” 

“You 'just woke up' before noon? Jaime, I can't remember the last time I saw you for breakfast.” 

“I was up by ten yesterday, maybe I'm re-adjusting my sleep patterns.” 

Tysha gave him a wry look across the kitchen. “What are you going to do with all this extra time today?”

“I don't know. Read a book, learn how to play the violin, go base dive off of a mountain. The usual.” 

“Mm. Not going to go see a tall, blond, fish-loving goddess?”

Jaime choked down the coffee he was drinking and glared at her. “No, I am not.” When Tysha just kept staring at him, he grumbled, “At least not until later.” 

“This will be, what, your fourth date?”

“We're not dating.”

“You're right, having multiple dinners with a woman you can't stop smiling foolishly about every time you talk about her doesn't sound at all like dating.” 

“We're not dating _yet_ ,” he amended. “But I was going to ask her out today.”

“Thank the Seven,” Tysha said. “I thought I was going to have to do it myself.” 

“I don't even know if she likes me. She just broke up with her awful ex-boyfriend, I don't want to be some weird rebound flirtation.” 

Tysha squeezed his forearm. “I saw the two of you at dinner that night, remember? Trust me, she likes you, and you are not her rebound anything. Unless her boyfriend is some truly phenomenal, godlike stud who saves kittens in-between cleaning the oceans, you've got no competition for her affections.” 

Jaime snorted. “Hyle's nothing like that. I met him yesterday; he's a bland, hapless jerk.” 

“You met her ex-boyfriend?” Tysha's eyes were wide and bright with interest. “Now that sounds like some gossip. Sit down and tell me all about it. I'll make you pancakes,” she offered when Jaime hesitated. 

He always could be bought with pancakes. 

By the time Jaime had a heaping plate in front of him, he'd told Tysha everything, including about the ill-advised heart emoji, and Tyrion was awake, his black and gold hair a mess as he shuffled, squint-eyed, out of the bedroom. 

“Am I still dreaming?” he said, his voice still thick with sleep. “Or is this my brother, awake before lunch?” 

Jaime rolled his eyes, his mouth already full of food. 

“Forcing my pregnant wife to cook, too. Here I thought you respected women.” 

“I respect the hell out of her cooking skills,” Jaime said around a mouthful of pancake. 

Tyrion grimaced and Tysha bent in-between pancake flipping to kiss him soundly. “I offered to make them in exchange for finding out what happened when he met Brienne's ex-boyfriend yesterday.” 

Tyrion's eyes lit up with the same curious interest that Tysha's had. These two were great at parties, always able to gather and share the best news no matter who they were hob-knobbing with, but when that interest was directed at Jaime's own life, it was less thrilling. It was a small price to pay, though, to be able to stay with them when he'd had nowhere else to go after he'd left Cersei and he hadn't been ready to suffer the drama of finding a place on his own. They'd all assumed it would be a month, maybe two, while he got his feet under him, but six months had passed and none of them was in a hurry for Jaime to leave, so he'd just stayed. 

But when Brienne had asked where he lived, Jaime had been oddly embarrassed to admit he was still staying with his brother. He was so used to Cersei, who would have mocked him mercilessly for not being on his own already. Even though Brienne was very much _not_ Cersei and surely he could trust her not to judge him, he'd still avoided answering. 

Of course now Tysha was pregnant and though neither she or Tyrion had even hinted at Jaime no longer being welcome, he was starting to feel the pressure anyway. His room would make a good nursery, and they all knew it. 

“I was just about to give Jaime some advice,” Tysha said, sliding pancakes onto a plate she pushed towards her husband. 

“I love giving Jaime advice,” Tyrion said. “Count me in.” 

“Your advice usually ends up with drinking or extremely bad hat decisions,” Jaime noted warily. 

Tyrion clapped his hand to his chest. “Fedoras were all the rage at my high school, how did I know it wouldn't be the same in college?” 

“Please, Tysha, just tell me what you're going to tell me so I can retreat with some shred of dignity,” Jaime begged her. 

She smiled a little and sat down with her own, enormous stack of pancakes. “I think the emoji was fine and you shouldn't sweat it. She's probably just as worried about responding to you as you are to her, which is why she hasn't said anything. From everything you've said, she sounds like she's easily spooked and having met her I can see why.” Jaime frowned and Tysha pointed her spatula at him. “Don't you look at me like that, Jaime Lannister. You think I don't know what it's like to care about someone who looks different?” 

He nodded a little, watched Tyrion squeeze Tysha's hand, their love as deep and undeniable as the ocean. Jaime wondered what it would be like to have his feelings for someone returned with the same intensity he felt it. He _was_ a jump-in-the-deep-end guy, as he'd told Brienne, but he'd drowned just as many times as he'd swam. 

“Anyway, I know you and your big heart, and I think you should reach out to her first to ease both of your minds. What do you think, Tyrion?” 

“I think you're right and also that Jaime would look amazing in a cowboy hat.”

Jaime threw a pancake at him.

* * *

He couldn't quite bring himself to text Brienne before nine, so Jaime turned his attention to apartment listings instead, and spent the next couple of hours despairing of the state of the rental market while, miraculously, not thinking about Brienne. Much.

But before lunchtime he had a list of potential spaces to see and a phone that still had no new messages and so much more day to fill. He'd told Brienne he wouldn't be there until the evening, which had seemed doable yesterday and seemed like the world's most aggravating marathon today. 

The red heart sat like a particularly cruel period at the end of the last emoji sentence between them. Perhaps she was simply waiting for Jaime to start things off; she'd never texted him first in their short acquaintance. It was far too late to lead with good morning now, but how unusual would it be to say good afternoon? Or maybe he could come up with some other, more legitimate reason to say hello. 

“Hey, Tyrion,” he called out. “Do you have any fish questions?”

Tyrion looked over at him from where he was snuggling on the couch with Tysha. They were both going in later for the afternoon through evening shift, the only night of the week Jaime had entirely to himself. But for now, the pair were catching up on the reality TV addictions they shared. 

“Why would I have fish questions?” Tyrion asked. 

“I don't know. Do you want to get a tank for the restaurant? Would add some atmosphere.” 

“No, I do not want an aquarium for the restaurant.” Tyrion narrowed his eyes. “Is this because of the fish girl again?”

“Fish _woman_ , and yes. I need some reason to text her.” 

“You could just say hello,” Tysha said gently. “Especially if you're going to ask her out tonight.” 

“He is? Oh thank the Seven,” Tyrion said.

“You can't be that annoyed, I haven't even known her a week,” Jaime muttered.

“Trust me. Not-even-a-week is enough of all this.” Tyrion waved his hand in Jaime's general direction. 

“All _what_?”

“You know. The goofy smiles. The constant staring at your phone waiting breathlessly for her responses. The mooning.” 

“I'm a Lannister. I do not moon.” 

“Yeah, right,” Tysha said, snorting extremely loudly. Both men glared at her. “Come off it,” she said. “You can't tell me Tyrion didn't moon at the beginning of our relationship.” 

He had. Endlessly. Gods, he'd been so annoying about it. The lovesick sighs, the way he'd bring her up in every conversation, how he'd desperately search for some reason to talk to her when all he had to do was just say hello. 

Oh. 

Jaime grabbed his phone and stalked off to his bedroom with Tysha's knowing laugh following him as he typed a message on his way. 

**My cell** : Good afternoon, Brienne WTF

He flopped down on his bed and was just opening up a mindless game to play when his phone dinged. 

**Brienne WTF** : Good afternoon, Jaime 

Contact achieved. That was a good sign. Jaime considered his next option. He'd discovered he was bad at text-flirting; none of the jokes he could deliver smoothly in person ever landed the same when they were in print. Better to start off without them, especially with that heart still lingering up there. 

**My cell** : How's your day going? 

Solid baseline question. Unremarkable. Hard to mess up.

 **Brienne WTF** : Good. It's been a normal amount of busy.  
**Brienne WTF** : How's your day off? Just wake up?  
**My cell** : No I've been up for awhile.  
**My cell** : I had pancakes  
**My cell** : My sister-in-law makes them. You should try them sometime.

Jaime slapped his hand to his forehead as soon as he hit Send and tried to think of some smooth follow-up that wasn't just coming right out and saying he wanted her to stay over all night so he could have pancakes with her in the morning. 

That would have been a little too forward. 

**Brienne WTF** : They're good?  
**My cell** : Yeah. Fluffy. 

“Fluffy,” Jaime said grimly. This was getting worse by the second. 

**My cell** : Still all right if I stop by later?  
**Brienne WTF** : Yep

Jaime squinted at his phone. 'Yep' was such a weird response. It lacked the outright enthusiasm of 'Yes' but also the casual boredom of 'Yeah.' She hadn't even provided any punctuation as guidance. He would have felt better with an exclamation point. 

**My cell** : Great!

Jaime waited fifteen minutes but there was no response. He promised himself he'd just leave it there, go see her later when he could watch her eyes light up and remind himself she actually was interested in him. 

Two minutes after that, he typed in a new message. 

**My cell** : My brother has a fish question. Do you have a minute?  
**Brienne WTF** : You run into a surprising amount of fish questions.  
**My cell** : Good thing I know a fish expert now. That's what my life was missing.

Jaime winced when he re-read it. Why did everything look so much more _dramatic_ in text?

 **My cell** : He's thinking about getting an aquarium for his restaurant  
**My cell** : What are some easy-to-care for fish that are also pretty?  
**My cell** : Does such a thing exist?  
**My cell** : My experience tells me anything really pretty is a pain in the ass 

He'd meant Cersei, but it occurred to him only after he'd sent the message and was waiting for Brienne's response that maybe she thought he meant her. Or that he meant she wasn't pretty because she was so nice to be around. And she wasn't pretty, but she was arresting and he couldn't stop thinking about the tall stretch of her body, her long fingers, the adorable wash of freckles, the pale lashes framing her deep sea eyes like sand at the shore. 

_Oh gods_ , he groaned, covering his face.

He _was_ mooning. 

It took her a distressingly long time to respond. Three minutes passed, then five, and just when he was getting ready to type up the world's longest, most badly worded apology for something he hadn't even meant, she responded. 

**Brienne WTF** : Sure it exists. You're pretty and you're not a pain in the ass.  
**Brienne WTF** : 😊❤️

Jaime grinned at the phone, considered how much of a fool he would be if he did a victory lap around the apartment, and instead quickly typed a reply. 

**My cell** : My brother would disagree with you  
**My cell** : But I thank you for your kindness, my lady  
**Brienne WTF** : It's the truth  
**Brienne WTF** : I can do some research for you  
**Brienne WTF** : Give you freshwater and saltwater ideas  
**Brienne WTF** : We can talk about it today  
**Brienne WTF** : If you're still coming over  
**Brienne WTF** : You don't have to  
**Brienne WTF** : But it's fine if you want to

He recognized all-too-well the verbal dump of Brienne's texts, and Jaime was certain she was blushing right now, the freckles dark spots against the red of her cheeks. He wondered how he was going to wait another four or five hours to see her. 

**My cell** : I do want to  
**My cell** : I'll let you get back to work now  
**My cell** : And I'll see you later  
**Brienne WTF** : I'm looking forward to it  
**My cell** : Me too. 

Jaime managed to wait almost four hours – through lunch with Tyrion and Tysha where they teased him mercilessly, through a vigorous workout, a shower, a round of phone calls to make arrangements to tour apartments over the next few days, and at least thirty minutes of picking what to wear – before he finally set off the very short distance to Brienne's store to finally make whatever they were doing into something more official. 

And as swiftly behind that as he could, to kiss her.

* * *

Arianne Martell adored her son, she adored being able to spend summer days with him, she even adored the fact that his boundless energy meant she had to find lots of unique ways to spend the time they had together. She did not adore his fascination with the turtles at Evenstar Fish and Aquariums. 

She _did_ adore the storeowner, Brienne, who treated Mycah with such kindness and respect Arianne was starting to wonder if half of his fascination was the woman and not just the turtles. 

When the little bell above the door rang, Brienne looked up from where she was standing, arms folded, in front of a row of tanks, and her homely face lit up. 

“Mycah! What an unexpected surprise!” 

“I know we usually visit on Sundays, but second week out of school and he's already bored of everything else,” Arianne explained. 

“It's wonderful to see him. And you,” Brienne added hastily. Her cheeks were a little pink and she kept darting her gaze away, her hands clasped in front of her awkwardly. Arianne gave Brienne a friendly smile, one she hoped would put the other woman at ease. Brienne always seemed so uncomfortable around herself and Rhaenys, even with Mycah as a soft buffer between them. Given Brienne's looks, Arianne imagined girls that looked like her had not been kind to Brienne in the past. She knew how the world worked; Arianne had been unkind to a few girls herself in high school, which she regretted now. 

“Are we too early for the turtle feeding?” she asked. 

“No, now is fine. Come on, Mycah,” Brienne said, holding out her hand. It swallowed Mycah's when she took it, and he beamed up at Brienne and then back at Arianne, who made an encouraging 'go on' motion. 

Arianne left the two of them to their turtle-feeding and went to the supplies section to look at how much getting Mycah his very own pet turtle and equipment would cost. The boy had been begging for his own for his birthday, and after much discussion with Rhaenys, they'd decided to do it. The bell above the door jingled again and Arianne glanced over and then looked more intently as she took in the man standing just inside the door, peering around the store. 

She and Rhaeyns were very happily married, but Arianne could still appreciate beautiful people and this man was one of the most beautiful she'd ever seen: shampoo-commercial-quality golden hair, a jaw as straight and sharp as the blade of a sword, eyes green and sparkling. And, when he spotted Brienne near the back of the store, one of the most breathtakingly adoring smiles Arianne had ever seen. 

_Well, isn't that interesting?_ she thought gleefully.

She looked to Brienne, too, saw the woman was kneeling down next to Mycah, talking animatedly. The man just stood there, watching Brienne, and Brienne knelt there watching Mycah, and Arianne huffed impatiently. 

“Brienne,” she called out, “I think you have another customer.” 

Brienne looked up, the same polite customer service smile on her face she always gave to Arianne melting into something shocked and dazzling at the sight of the man. 

_Oh ho ho,_ Arianne chortled to herself. _Interesting indeed._

“Jaime,” Brienne said as she stood and walked towards him. Arianne surreptitiously watched them as she pretended to study turtle supplies with extreme concentration. Brienne stopped close enough to Jaime it was clear they'd spent some time together, but didn't touch him in greeting. “Hi.” 

“Hey. I know I said evening, but I figured I'd come by early.”

“That's fine.” 

They were both sort of leaning towards each other and Arianne had the urge to smush them together. 

“I see you have a shirt and shoes on,” Brienne said, and Arianne's eyebrows lifted at the mixed nervousness, flirting, and disappointment in Brienne's tone. 

“I didn't want to be refused service,” Jaime said, and his tone was all flirting. Arianne smirked at the picture of a cartoon turtle on the bag of food she was pretending to examine. 

“I wouldn't refuse you,” Brienne said, her face going predictably pink. “But it's for the best. I haven't mopped yet today.” 

“Don't want to get dirty feet,” Jaime agreed. 

Arianne rolled her eyes and wondered how Brienne had managed to stumble on a man as obviously terrible at this as she was. 

“Did you want to say hi to Arthur?” 

Jaime stared and it took every last scrap of Arianne's willpower not to shout, _He came to see you!_ into the silence. 

“Sure, yeah,” Jaime said, and they walked the few short steps to the counter to peer down together at the fish there. 

Arianne checked on Mycah, who was engaged in a long discussion with the turtles, and then changed shelves to position herself nearer Jaime and Brienne. 

“Have you had a good day off?” Brienne was asking Jaime. 

“This has been the best part of it,” Jaime said, and Arianne swooned a little. _Good answer_ , she thought. 

“I didn't realize the two of you had become such fast friends,” Brienne said. 

Jaime chuckled a little, and it was such a warm, pleasant sound Arianne wasn't sure how Brienne was keeping herself so rigidly apart from him when he very clearly wanted to be touching her in any way possible. Did she not know? 

“I didn't really come to see the fish,” Jaime said, so softly Arianne had to shift a little nearer and strain to hear it. 

“You didn't?” Brienne asked in a high voice. 

Jaime covered Brienne's hand on the counter with his own and Arianne watched her stare down at their stacked hands with wide eyes. 

“I know you just broke up with Hyle,” Jaime said, and Arianne swallowed down a gasp of surprise, “and we've only known each other a few days, but I've really enjoyed getting to know you in that short time.”

“Me, too,” Brienne whispered. 

“I was hoping I could get to know you even better next Monday with a day at the aquarium followed by dinner.”

Arianne gave up all pretense and stared anxiously at Brienne. _Say yes, girl_ she urged her. 

“But you work on Monday,” Brienne said. 

“I took the night off.”

“Oh.” Brienne continued to stare down at their hands, and Arianne saw Jaime's hopeful smile start to fall a little. Arianne felt a little surge of panic that this was all going to collapse. She might have to actually shove them together if it turned dire.

Just as Jaime started to move his hand away, Brienne covered it with her other one and looked up at him. “I'd really like to spend the day with you, Jaime.” 

Arianne exhaled loudly in relief and they both jumped, Brienne yanking her hands away from Jaime and turning. 

“Arianne!” Brienne gasped. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting. Did you need something?”

Arianne plastered on a wide, fake smile. “I was just wondering which one of these, uh,” she glanced at the shelf she'd been faking interest in, “rocks a turtle would like? We're thinking of getting one for Mycah for his birthday in a few weeks.” 

Brienne broke into a genuine smile. “He would love that, what a wonderful idea. He'll be a fantastic turtle owner, I can tell. Here, let me help you select the perfect starter set.” 

“No!” Arianne shouted, and then cleared her throat at the two towering blondes' twin frowns. “Just the rock right now. I don't want Mycah to know. I'll come back alone another time and we can go into details.” 

“That makes sense. That one,” Brienne said, pointing at one of the flatter rocks. “But we can talk about it more when you come back.” 

“Wonderful. Thank you, Brienne.” And then, because Arianne couldn't resist, she added, “Who's your boyfriend?” 

Brienne went deeply red, while Jaime grinned happily. Arianne gave him extra points for being entirely disinterested in her; there were few men who didn't spare her curves at least a passing glance, and most were creepily interested. 

“He's, um, I mean--”

“I'm Jaime,” he said, giving her a small wave. 

“It's nice to meet you, Jaime. Brienne is always so lovely with my son, Mycah. You must feel quite lucky.”

“I do,” he said, and Arianne could see he meant it. 

Arianne smiled and turned her back on the two of them, ostensibly to re-focus on the turtle supplies. They moved a little bit away but she could still hear their voices, barely, over the bubbling of the tanks. 

“You could have said you weren't my boyfriend,” Brienne said. 

“I know. I did just ask you out on a date, though. So now we're dating.”

Brienne was quiet and Arianne wanted desperately to turn around and see what her face was doing, but she resisted. Barely. 

“Do you think it's weird? To go on a date less than a week after I broke up with someone else?”

Arianne made a face at the shelf. She had a point. 

“Do _you_ feel weird about it?” Jaime asked. 

There was a long pause and then Brienne said, “I feel like I should. But I don't.” 

“Then I don't either. Hyle was a jackass who treated you terribly, just like Cersei treated me. I think its fine that we move on as fast as we want from people like that.” 

“Yeah.” 

Arianne couldn't take it anymore; she switched shelves so she could see the two of them out of the corner of her eye. They were standing _much_ nearer each other, and this time they were holding hands. She felt a little swoop of delight at the soft, wondering look on Brienne's face. 

“But if it makes you feel better, we can agree not to see each other again until our date,” Jaime said. “At least it will have been a full week by then.” 

Brienne nodded, obviously grateful, and Jaime nodded back. 

“It's agreed then. I should let you get back to work,” Jaime said, and Arianne watched him trail his other hand down Brienne's arm, saw her shiver a little. Arianne tucked that move away for use on Rhaenys later. 

“I guess you should,” Brienne said. She looked like she never wanted him to leave. 

“Is texting acceptable between now and Monday?”

“Sure,” Brienne said. “What if you have fish questions?”

He grinned. “Excellent point.”

“What about your brother?”

“My brother?” Jaime's brow furrowed. “What about him?”

“The aquarium he wanted for his restaurant?”

“Oh. He changed his mind, don't worry about it.” Jaime rubbed his thumb over Brienne's knuckles and Brienne smiled, biting her full lower lip. All right, Arianne could see the appeal. 

“Will you text me when you get home later?” Jaime asked. “I might have more questions for you by then.”

“I will,” Brienne said, her smile escaping the clutch of her teeth to spread fully across her face. “You can ask them before then if they come up, though.” 

“Good to know.” Jaime winked and then kissed her on the cheek, lingering a little, before stepping away. “Bye, Brienne-with-the-fish.” 

“Bye, Jaime.” 

Both women watched Jaime walk out of the store, pause at the window to wave, and then walk off, honest-to-the-gods whistling. 

Brienne stood staring out the window until Mycah came running up to her. “Ms. Brienne!” he shouted, and she jolted and blinked down at him. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“I just saw one of the turtles poop!” he exclaimed with the true joy only a young child faced with animal poop could achieve. “Come on, Mommy! You have to see it, too! It's so cool and gross!”

Arianne and Brienne shared a look and laughed. They followed Mycah back to the tanks and the promised poop and Arianne made a note to come back to the store next Wednesday to find out how Brienne's date with Jaime went. 

Hopefully they would have shoved themselves together on their own by then. But if not, she'd find a way to do it for them.


	7. A Texting Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Messages from one twitterpated dumbass to another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to include these as part of the next chapter but they worked better as a passage of time on their own. Yes the chapter count has gone up accordingly. I don't know why any of us is surprised by this turn of events.

****

**Wednesday**

**Brienne WTF** : I'm home  
 **Jaime L.** : Welcome home! How was the rest of your day?  
 **Brienne WTF** : Long. Had someone come in with a sick fish they said I sold them  
 **Jaime L.** : I assume you didn't  
 **Brienne WTF** : Of course I didn't! I would never knowingly sell sick fish  
 **Jaime L.** : What did you do?  
 **Brienne WTF** : I took it back and gave him his money  
 **Jaime L.** : Why would you take it back? He was lying  
 **Brienne WTF** : I didn't want to leave a sick fish in his care  
 **Brienne WTF** : That poor fish doesn't deserve to die  
 **Jaime L.** : You're really something, Brienne WTF  
 **Brienne WTF** : Is that a good something?  
 **Jaime L.** : The best

* * *

****

**Thursday**

**Brienne WTF** : Are you awake?  
 **Jaime L.** : It's nine in the morning of course I'm not awake  
 **Brienne WTF** : You're very good at sleep-typing  
 **Jaime L.** : One of my many skills. What's up?  
 **Brienne WTF** : I have a drink question for you  
 **Jaime L.** : At nine in the morning?  
 **Brienne WTF** : Shut up, a friend asked me  
 **Brienne WTF** : Sorry I shouldn't say shut up  
 **Jaime L.** : No, it's fine.  
 **Jaime L.** : I can picture you saying it and it's very cute  
 **Jaime L.** : What does your friend want?  
 **Jaime L.** : Brienne?  
 **Brienne WTF** : Never mind  
 **Jaime L.** : Oh come on, now I want to know  
 **Brienne WTF** : IA WANT TO KWN OIF YOU CAN GIVE HER A SCREAMING ORGA  
 **Jaime L.** : Ah  
 **Brienne WTF** : Oh gods I am so sorry  
 **Brienne WTF** : She grabbed my phone  
 **Brienne WTF** : I hate her so much  
 **Brienne WTF** : I didn't know that's where she was going with that  
 **Jaime L.** : It's fine  
 **Jaime L.** : It's funny!  
 **Jaime L.** : And yes, I can

* * *

 **Brienne WTF** : Sorry again.  
**Jaime L.** : Don't worry about it.  
**Brienne WTF** : What are you doing today?  
**Jaime L.** : I'm working  
**Brienne WTF** : I thought you had Thursdays off?  
**Jaime L.** : I usually do but I switched with Ygritte so I could take Monday  
**Brienne WTF** : You only get one day off this week?  
**Jaime L.** : Yeah. It's for a good cause. 😁  
**Brienne WTF** : Next time we'll schedule for your day off.  
**Jaime L.** : I've never had a woman agree to a second date before we've even had a first one  
**Jaime L.** : I like it  
**Jaime L.** : Takes the pressure off  
**Jaime L.** : Although Ygritte thinks we've already had several dates  
**Jaime L.** : But those were just dinners together  
**Jaime L.** : As friends  
**Brienne WTF** : What's the difference?  
**Jaime L.** : Mostly that I don't kiss my friends on the mouth after friend dinners  
**Jaime L.** : Monday isn't a friend dinner, is it?  
**Brienne WTF** : No, it's not.  
**Jaime L.** : Good.  
**Jaime L.** : Are you blushing right now?  
**Jaime L.** : I bet you're blushing right now.  
**Brienne WTF** : I am.  
**Brienne WTF** : Shut up.

* * *

**Brienne WTF** : Home again.  
**Jaime L.** : Welcome back! Any annoying customers today?  
**Brienne WTF** : Just my friend. Sorry again about that  
**Jaime L.** : You really don't need to apologize.  
**Jaime L.** : I found a fish video I think you'd like  
**Jaime L.** : https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/gsyc81/when_youre_sorting_the_tank_filters_and_a_big/  
**Brienne WTF** : That's really cute, thank you  
**Jaime L.** : Do fish really do that?  
**Brienne WTF** : Sure. They like attention just like anybody else.  
**Jaime L.** : Would you like attention like that?  
**Brienne WTF** : Jaime.  
**Jaime L.** : It's an honest question!  
**Jaime L.** : So  
**Jaime L.** : Would you?  
**Jaime L.** : It's okay if your answer is no  
**Brienne WTF** : Yes  
**Jaime L.** : Yes you would?  
**Brienne WTF** : Yes  
**Jaime L.** : Yes. 🙂

* * *

****

**Friday**

**Jaime L.** : Good morning  
 **Brienne WTF** : It's 11:55  
 **Jaime L.** : Still technically morning  
 **Jaime L.** : How many hours have you been up already?  
 **Brienne WTF** : Too many  
 **Jaime L.** : Bad day?  
 **Brienne WTF** : Hyle died.  
 **Jaime L.** : What?  
 **Brienne WTF** : The fish! Hyle the fish!  
 **Jaime L.** : Oh.  
 **Jaime L.** : That requires an entirely different response: I'm sorry for your loss.  
 **Jaime L.** : I know you did the best you could trying to help him.  
 **Brienne WTF** : Thanks.  
 **Brienne WTF** : What would you have said if it had been human Hyle?  
 **Jaime L.** : Truthfully?  
 **Brienne WTF** : Always, please  
 **Jaime L.** : That I hope it wouldn't interfere with our date on Monday.  
 **Jaime L.** : What would you have said?  
 **Brienne WTF** : That it was sad that he died.  
 **Brienne WTF** : And the same thing about the date.

* * *

 **Jaime L.** : I found another fish video for you to cheer you up  
**Jaime L.** : https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/dwn1pn/fish_rarely_get_love_from_people_in_the_way_that/  
**Brienne WTF** : I wish my job was to just pet fish  
**Jaime L.** : Isn't that part of your job?  
**Brienne WTF** : Most of the small fish don't like to be touched  
**Brienne WTF** : And my hands are too big for them anyway  
**Jaime L.** : I like your big hands  
**Jaime L.** : Here's one more video:  
**Jaime L.** : https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/ful2vd/playing_peekaboo_with_a_yellow_tang_fish/  
**Jaime L.** : You can do this with your fish, right?  
**Brienne WTF** : I can.  
**Jaime L.** : You have, haven't you?  
**Brienne WTF** : I have.  
**Jaime L.** : I wish it was the end of our not-friend date already.  
**Brienne WTF** : Why?  
**Jaime L.** : Because that's when I'm planning to kiss you  
**Jaime L.** : Spoiler alert  
**Brienne WTF** : I wasn't going to wait that long.  
**Brienne WTF** : Jaime?  
**Jaime L.** : You have rendered me speechless, Brienne WTF.  
**Brienne WTF** : In a good way?  
**Jaime L.** : The best.  
**Jaime L.** : But now I REALLY wish it was Monday.

* * *

****

**Saturday**

**Brienne WTF** : Jaime did you send me a stuffed fish?  
 **Jaime L.** : I did!  
 **Jaime L.** : Do you like it?  
 **Brienne WTF** : It's adorable, thank you  
 **Jaime L.** : It's for our one week meet-a-versary  
 **Brienne WTF** : Our what?  
 **Jaime L.** : We met last Saturday.  
 **Jaime L.** : Sorry I see now that's way too much.  
 **Brienne WTF** : No, it's sweet.  
 **Brienne WTF** : I didn't get you anything though.  
 **Jaime L.** : That's okay. I don't really collect bar stuff anyway  
 **Brienne WTF** : Why do you think I collect fish stuff?  
 **Jaime L.** : Because I've talked to you for longer than fifteen minutes  
 **Brienne WTF** : Should I be offended?  
 **Jaime L.** : No. Just consider me a good listener.  
 **Brienne WTF** : I wouldn't have gotten you bar stuff  
 **Jaime L.** : What would you have gotten me?  
 **Brienne WTF** : The fancy gold-edged hardcopy version of that book series you talk about all the time  
 **Brienne WTF** : You probably have it already though  
 **Jaime L.** : I do. That's what makes it the perfect gift  
 **Jaime L.** : Because it means you were listening, too  
 **Jaime L.** : I'm very touched by your hypothetical one week meet-a-versary present, Brienne WTF  
 **Jaime L.** : Thank you, hypothetically  
 **Brienne WTF** : You're welcome, hypothetically

* * *

 **Brienne WTF** : Did you know goldfish actually have two split fins for their tail?  
**Jaime L.** : Does the one I gave you have that?  
**Brienne WTF** : No. That's okay though! He's still cute!  
**Jaime L.** : You've thrown down the gauntlet now.  
**Brienne WTF** : I didn't intend to.  
**Jaime L.** : I picked it up and will meet your challenge.  
**Brienne WTF** : There was no challenge. It was just a statement of fact.  
**Jaime L.** : Here's a fact: watch out.  
**Brienne WTF** : Jaime.  
**Brienne WTF** : Whatever you're doing, you don't have to.  
**Brienne WTF** : Jaime?

* * *

**Brienne WTF** : I'm home  
**Jaime L.** : Welcome home  
**Brienne WTF** : I really wasn't challenging you  
**Jaime L.** : Too late  
**Brienne WTF** : Should I be worried?  
**Jaime L.** : Only if you don't like fish  
**Jaime L.** : You do like fish, don't you?  
**Brienne WTF** : I do.  
**Brienne WTF** : I'm a little worried.  
**Jaime L.** : Don't be worried.  
**Jaime L.** : I didn't get anything still alive.  
**Brienne WTF** : Did it used to be alive?  
**Brienne WTF** : Jaime?  
**Brienne WTF** : Jaime.  
**Jaime L.** : 😶  
**Brienne WTF** : Oh gods.  
**Jaime L.** : I look forward to hearing you say that in person in two days  
**Jaime L.** : You're blushing again aren't you?  
**Brienne WTF** : Shut up.

* * *

****

**Sunday**

**Brienne WTF** : I didn't know you could get packages delivered on Sunday.  
 **Jaime L.** : I paid extra.  
 **Jaime L.** : You got my packages then?  
 **Brienne WTF** : I did.  
 **Brienne WTF** : All ten of them.  
 **Brienne WTF** : All anatomically correct sea creatures.  
 **Jaime L.** : You're welcome.  
 **Jaime L.** : I sensed a challenge.  
 **Brienne WTF** : There was no challenge.  
 **Jaime L.** : I probably took this joke too far.  
 **Jaime L.** : I can take them back if you don't want them.  
 **Brienne WTF** : No!  
 **Brienne WTF** : They're mine now.  
 **Jaime L.** : You really like them?  
 **Brienne WTF** : I do.  
 **Jaime L.** : Then they're yours.

* * *

 **Brienne WTF** : I know you've still got a long night ahead of you, but I'm off to bed.  
**Jaime L.** : Lucky bed.  
**Jaime L.** : Sorry.  
**Brienne WTF** : I don't mind.  
**Brienne WTF** : I just don't know how to respond.  
**Jaime L.** : We can talk about it tomorrow.  
**Brienne WTF** : Because our date is tomorrow.  
**Jaime L.** : Yes. I'm looking forward to it.  
**Brienne WTF** : Me too.  
**Brienne WTF** : I'm glad we allowed texting.  
**Jaime L.** : Me too.  
**Brienne WTF** : It's weird I didn't even know you nine days ago  
**Jaime L.** : I feel like I should send Hyle a 'thank you for being a complete tool' card  
**Jaime L.** : Do you think they make those?  
**Brienne WTF** : I don't know.  
**Brienne WTF** : If you find one, get one for me, too, for Cersei.  
**Jaime L.** : Deal.  
**Brienne WTF** : I'll meet you at the aquarium tomorrow, then?  
**Jaime L.** : Yep! At ten.  
**Brienne WTF** : Okay.  
**Brienne WTF** : Well.  
**Brienne WTF** : I should go to sleep.  
**Jaime L.** : I should get back to work.  
**Brienne WTF** : Good night, Jaime.  
**Jaime L.** : Good night, Brienne WTF.  
**Brienne WTF** : I'll see you tomorrow.  
**Jaime L.** : Tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know what the anatomically correct stuffed sea creatures look like, you can do a search for 'JESONN Realistic Stuffed Marine Animals Toys' and pick the ten of your choice. Choose-your-own-headcanon! Credit to theworldunseen for the anatomically incorrect stuffed fish bit!
> 
> Three guesses as to which friend of Brienne's made the Screaming Orgasms joke.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brienne woke up early on Monday and laid in bed, already hyperventilating while she re-read the last text from Jaime. They were going on a date. A not-friend-date. Today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out these two goofballs needed just a bit more time to get to the end I have planned. I feel like I should apologize for how soft this is but honestly if you're still reading at this point, you know what you're getting into. 😂

Brienne woke up early on Monday and laid in bed, already hyperventilating while she re-read the last text from Jaime. They were going on a date. A not-friend-date. Today. 

It had been so much easier to be as flirty as she'd ever been over text, to say (oh gods) that she had planned to kiss him before the end of the day. Now she'd have to somehow be that same woman in person, when faced with, well, his _face_. 

Although when she thought of his face, her second thought – after how painfully attractive it was – was how kind his eyes were when he looked at her. Since the first moment at the bar, before they'd even known each other's names, Jaime's eyes had been gentle and bright with interest. Interest in _her_. The texting was easy, but in person with Jaime she felt far more herself, and appreciated for it. 

He might not even find her fish-filled apartment as weird as she feared. Brienne looked over at the tank bubbling away on her dresser, the bonded angelfish pair inside swimming slowly along, the wall above them covered with a painting of a coral reef and its busy sea creature population. Her gaze strayed to the anatomically correct stuffed sea creatures Jaime had sent that she'd arranged in the corner of the room in the fishing net decoration she'd bought months ago and had no idea what to do with. Then there was the lamp that looked like a puffer fish that had made her laugh so hard when Galladon had shown it to her that he'd bought it for her immediately, not to mention an absurd number of ocean-themed scarves hanging over a chair with a back shaped like a sailfish. Brienne sighed. No, she was unequivocally weird. But maybe it wouldn't bother Jaime as much as it had seemed to bother Hyle. Seeing her apartment might have been the start of when Hyle's attitude towards her had changed. 

What if the same thing happened with Jaime? 

She could not let him in her apartment after their date today. Aquarium, a meal, and then they'd have to part ways, unless he invited her to his place. Brienne's whole body went warm and she rolled out of bed. She'd barely even known him a week, starting with the the day she'd broken up with her last boyfriend. It was too soon to think about apartments. To think about more than the fact at some point today she would kiss him. 

Brienne smiled as she said good morning to all her fish friends, fed them, and readied herself for the day. She might have even whistled a little, although she was not, by any measure, good at it. By seven-thirty, she was ready to go, but she couldn't reasonably leave her apartment until nine. 

If it was any other day in the past week, she would have texted Jaime while she waited, but Brienne couldn't bring herself to do that when they were going to see each other in two and a half hours. Instead, she scrolled through fish videos on Reddit and YouTube, she pulled up a map of the King's Landing Aquarium even though she'd been enough times she could have walked it in her sleep, she triple-checked her directions to make sure she had the right streets and times, and then, eventually it was eight-thirty.

Sighing, Brienne left anyway. She'd get there forty minutes early instead of ten, but the aquarium had an outdoor viewing area for seals that she could spend some time at, and it was better than pacing her apartment and making her fish anxious. 

“Wish me luck, gang,” she called out just before she closed and locked the door behind her. 

Even with parking issues, it was still before nine-thirty when Brienne walked up to the King's Landing Aquarium with its giant whale statue fountain out front. Half an hour to kill, at the minimum. Good thing she liked sea life. 

A family with two young kids was waiting by the fountain, the two girls chasing each other around and around the statue while the parents talked quietly. Other than that, the area was clear this early before opening, except for one other lone figure leaning over the railing by the seals. 

A lone figure who looked suspiciously like--

“Jaime?” she said, and he straightened and turned. 

It was him, and he gave her a small wave. “Good morning.” 

“What are you doing here? It's not even nine-thirty.”

“What are _you_ doing here?” he asked, teasing and curious. 

That was fair. Brienne ran through a series of entirely implausible answers before settling on the truth. “I was eager to get here.” 

“Me too,” he said, sounding relieved. He smiled and she stood next to him at the railing. The seals were already barking at each other, staccato and loud on the cold breeze blowing in over the ocean. The wind ruffled Jaime's hair and his cheeks and mouth were pink – he must have been here for a little while. The idea of it, that even though he'd worked late he still had gotten up so early to see her, swarmed up inside, warming her. Brienne leaned forward impulsively and kissed him, quick but sweet, on his slightly chapped lips. 

When she pulled back, his mouth was open, eyes wide before they crinkled at the corners with his smile. 

“As promised,” he said. “And yet you still surprised me.” 

“Sorry.”

“Don't apologize for kissing me, Brienne,” he said softly. He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “I spent most of last night trying to figure out when and how to do it. I wanted it to be perfect so you weren't disappointed.”

“I couldn't be disappointed by kissing you,” she murmured. Gods, she knew she must look like she had a face full of windburn, but Jaime didn't seem to care. Instead he slipped his arm around her waist and brought her a shuffling step closer. He rubbed his nose along her cheek, up towards her ear. 

“Now we can focus on the best part,” he whispered. “All the kisses after.” 

If this was texting, she'd have time to come up with some sort of cute and witty response, but she just laughed a little nervously and said, “Out here?”

“We do have half an hour before the aquarium opens.” 

Brienne glanced over at the family. The two girls were now trying to splash each other and the parents were trying to keep them out of the water. “But the children.” 

Jaime snorted, and he was smirking a little when she looked at him. “It's just kissing,” he said. “We're not going to scar anyone for life.” 

“Hyle wasn't big on PDAs,” she said with a small shrug. 

“I thought we established that Hyle was an ignorant asshole?”

She felt heat flare in her cheeks, but she nodded. “It hasn't been that long.”

“It hasn't,” Jaime agreed. “But I'm not Hyle. However, if it makes you feel better, you can dictate all the kissing today. When to start, when to stop. Just be assured I stand ready to be kissed at any time.” 

He was grinning, open and uncomplicated. He didn't look annoyed or frustrated or disinterested. In fact he looked like was hoping she'd take him up on his offer right now. Brienne glanced at the family again, but they'd moved to the other side of the whale fountain. 

Brienne kissed him once more, slower this time, and his lips were warmer and wetter, tender against hers. She shivered a little and broke the kiss, found his pupils were wide, drinking her in. She licked her lips, and his gaze flickered down to her mouth. 

She wanted to kiss him again. 

So she did, putting her arms around his body this time, his arms tightening around her waist. This kiss lasted longer, went deeper, their mouths open and eager. His mouth was new, and she enjoyed discovering how their lips fit together. By the time Brienne pulled away for air, they were both flushed and breathing hard. Their torsos were pushed together, but Jaime had his hips angled away. 

She slid her hands to his waist, but when she tried to tug him nearer, he resisted. 

“Sorry,” she said, awkward, but Jaime shook his head quickly. 

“No, it's just. Uh.” He cleared his throat. “I've _really_ been looking forward to kissing you.” 

_Oh_.

Brienne chewed her lip and tried very hard not to look down, but she couldn't resist. She inhaled sharply at the clear sign of his interest in his well-fitting jeans. 

“You're not helping,” he said on a strangled laugh. 

She smiled, unable to help herself. This time he kissed her, right on the tip of her nose, and then extricated himself. 

“You've already broken the agreement for the day,” she said lightly. 

“Just the one, I promise,” he said. “Let's watch the seals, which will definitely help me not think about kissing you again.” 

They stood side-by-side until the aquarium opened, pointing out their favorite seals, making up dramatic stories about what the animals' angry hollering at each other meant. When a brave seagull kept darting around and annoying the seals, Jaime went off on a five-minute tangent in a ridiculous voice that had Brienne in tears with laughter. 

They bought tickets – Brienne paid for them both since he'd spent so much on the stuffed animals for her – and they spent hours walking hand-in-hand through the aquarium. It was a huge space, world-renowned and full of animals and activities, so she took him on a curated tour, hitting all her favorites, answering his questions, watching him charm almost everyone they met. And in every dark corner, she tugged him near to kiss him, found him enthusiastic every time. They kissed by the dramatic glow of the jellyfish tank, the slowly changing lights coloring him blue and purple and pink; they kissed by the seahorses, and in the middle of the walk-through tunnel with a shark passing silently overhead. They kissed in front of a tank of angelfish after Brienne told him how angelfish bond for life and he'd looked surprised and touched. By the end of the day, she'd mapped the aquarium with his kisses. 

On their way out, they wandered through the gift shop. When they emerged, Brienne discovered that while she'd been turning over snowglobes, Jaime had bought her a photo book of tropical fish that she'd been eying the last few times she visited.

Brienne took the book and clutched it to her chest. “How did you know I wanted this?” 

“We spent a lot of time in that section today, and you talked about wanting to take a trip to see these species in their natural habitat, so I figured you liked them.” 

She brushed her hand over the photo of bright yellow fish on the cover and then kissed Jaime again, because she could. “How do you do that?” she asked, and he frowned, confused. 

“Do what?”

“Listen so well when I keep going on.” 

“It's a pleasure to listen to you.” He took one of her hands in his, tangling their fingers. “Do you know your eyes get brighter when you're passionate about something? I didn't think they could get more mesmerizing, but they do. And you get the cutest little wrinkle in your forehead, here,” he brushed his thumb between her eyes, “when you're puzzling through a question. Your voice goes high with excitement when you really get going, until you realize it and then it goes low, and they both make me want to listen to you read anything, even the dictionary. When you loosen up, you make really terrible jokes, and then sort of laugh at yourself and I want to kiss you immediately. You use all of that encyclopedic fish knowledge to save tiny little creatures, and then feel badly if they die. I don't know what Hyle told you, Brienne-with-the-fish, but as a bartender I'm a very good judge of character, and you're remarkable. I'd be happy doing nothing but listen to you.” 

Brienne was breathless, her heart pounding, though Jaime had been doing all the talking this time. She could only stare at him, all of her marine knowledge useless in the face of his overwhelming words. No one had ever been so outwardly appreciative of her and it felt like she'd dived into crystal clear waters, too many impossibly beautiful things to look at yet they were looking at her instead. 

“I don't know what to say,” she managed, and Jaime smiled a little, pulling her near. He hovered his mouth near hers. 

“Say you'll come to an early dinner with me and tell me everything else I don't know about you yet.” 

“Only if you tell me about yourself, too,” she whispered. 

“Well, I own a bar called The Lion's Den, I have one brother who owns a very good restaurant--”

“Not now,” she said, laughing a little. She felt the reflection of her own breath, he was still so close to her. “Over dinner.” 

“I think you'll find I'm not nearly as interesting as you are.” 

Brienne snorted, loudly, and then ducked her head. Jaime kissed her forehead and stepped back. 

“It's true,” he said. “Do you eat seafood, or is that a no-no?”

“I love seafood,” she said. 

“No guilt eating your little fish friends?”

“I don't eat my friends, I eat sustainably sourced seafood,” she said firmly. 

Jaime wrapped his arm around her waist and started them walking. “I have the perfect restaurant for you.”

* * *

A couple of blocks away they ate at a restaurant right on the water, sitting outside at a table tucked in the corner nearest the ocean. Jaime had gotten the recommendation from Tyrion, who prided himself on being able to provide a top five list of every type of cuisine served in King's Landing. Fortunately, he seemed to be right about this one; the food was incredible and they made a big deal about how it was fresh caught and only to the official limits. 

Brienne had delighted him so early with that first, unexpected kiss that Jaime had felt two steps behind all day. Every time she pulled him near to kiss him again it had been a slow-growing joy that expanded with each taste of her mouth. 

Over dinner she asked him questions about himself – why a bar, what was Tyrion like, who was his favorite character in his favorite book. He even told her about living with his brother, and he believed her when she said she thought it was sweet they got along so well. In seven years Cersei hadn't asked him half of what Brienne did that evening, her big blue eyes always trained on him, so guileless and clear it was a miracle he didn't lose focus more frequently. They talked through appetizers, salads, the main course, and dessert, and then kept talking until their server hovered near, obviously hoping they'd free up the table. 

Jaime paid for their meal, Brienne covered the tip and, he saw, tipped extra for how long they'd sat there, and then they walked back to the aquarium as the sun was touching the horizon, turning the water liquid gold. The seals were back, too, and shouting loudly at each other as they settled in for the night. 

“I've had a wonderful day,” Brienne said, and Jaime cast about for some way to extend their date. He couldn't invite Brienne over to Tyrion's, and he didn't want to impose himself on her. 

“Me too,” he said. “I'm sorry to see we're nearing the end of it.” 

“Me too.” She chewed her bottom lip, her prominent teeth causing little divots in the soft flesh. “It doesn't have to end yet,” she said, so quietly Jaime almost couldn't hear her over the obnoxious seals. 

“What do you have in mind?”

“Did you drive here?”

“No, rideshare.”

Brienne went bright red as she said, “We could go back to your place to hang out. I could drive.” 

Jaime cursed Tyrion's work schedule that had him off on Mondays. “I don't think that will work.” 

“Oh,” she sighed with such vivid disappointment leaking out of that one word Jaime squeezed her arm. 

“Tyrion and Tysha are both home tonight, and I don't want to subject you to the intense interrogation you'd get.” 

“Oh,” she said again, this time a relieved exhale. She fidgeted and they stood there in uncomfortable silence while the seals chortled at them. 

For whatever reason, Brienne obviously wasn't comfortable inviting him back to her place, so Jaime pulled out his phone. “I guess that's it for today, then.” 

“Yeah.” She looked miserable, her pale brows pulled together, her thick lips pressed into a frown. 

He called up a ride. “Ten minutes,” he said. He tucked his arm through hers and they stood in the wind together, quiet. 

“I really did have a great day,” Jaime told her. 

“I did, too,” she said, and it was almost a plea. 

“You know, I've got no plans for the whole rest of the night. If you get bored, you can text me.” 

A look he was starting to grow pleasantly familiar with crossed her face, something slightly awed and very interested and she kissed him, hard. “I did promise you a second date,” she said. 

He smiled slowly. “You did. How about tomorrow? I can help you feed everybody again and flaunt my new status to Arthur.” 

Brienne laughed, a pealing, thunderous sound that drowned out even the seals. Jaime loved it. “That doesn't sound like much of a date for you.” 

“If it makes you feel better, we can go to my bar after and you can help me do inventory. I don't really care what we do, as long as I'm with you.” 

_Too much_ , he instantly worried, but Brienne looked at him shyly, her face transforming with her smile. 

“Then it's a date,” she said, and he pressed his lips gently to hers, responded when she deepened the kiss, her tongue reaching tentatively for his. He met her with eager desire, and was only startled out of kissing her by the insistent honking of his ride. 

Brienne's lips were red and swollen, and Jaime was sure his looked the same. He brought her free hand up and pressed a last kiss to her palm and then reluctantly left her there to go home. 

He managed to wait until he'd been dropped off before he texted her from the sidewalk outside. 

**My cell** : Back at home.  
**Brienne WTF** : Just parked, too

He missed her already, but that seemed like too much to say after one day together. 

**My cell** : I had fun today  
**Brienne WTF** : Me too  
**My cell** : Especially the 😘💋  
**Brienne WTF** : Yeah, me too 😊  
**My cell** : What time should I be at the store tomorrow?  
**Brienne WTF** : You really don't have to help me. We could meet afterward.  
**My cell** : I want to. But if you don't want me there, that's okay  
**Brienne WTF** : No, I do!  
**Brienne WTF** : It just feels weird to put you to work  
**My cell** : You can pay me in kisses

She didn't respond right away and he grinned at his phone. 

**My cell** : You're blushing aren't you  
**Brienne WTF** : Maybe  
**Brienne WTF** : Maybe I'm just trying to decide what your hourly rate should be

He laughed, loudly, on the sidewalk. A couple walking by shot him a strange look and Jaime beamed at them. 

“I'm talking to my girlfriend,” he said, waving his phone at them. The woman smiled softly and the man rolled his eyes. She caught him doing it and elbowed him. 

“Why aren't you more like that?” Jaime heard her say as they continued on. 

**My cell** : Can I make salary demands?  
**Brienne WTF** : You seem like you might be a problematic employee

A dozen increasingly inappropriate responses came to mind. Before he could pick the one that would get his point across and not accidentally drive her away, she'd sent another message. 

**Brienne WTF** : I'll be there at eleven tomorrow  
**My cell** : Isn't that late for you?  
**Brienne WTF** : Later than usual  
**Brienne WTF** : But you have to work  
**Brienne WTF** : So you should sleep in some

Her casual thoughtfulness was going to kill him, right there outside of Tyrion's building. 

**My cell** : ❤️  
**My cell** : Time to go get my own interrogation  
**Brienne WTF** : Good luck  
**Brienne WTF** : Just start reciting fish facts at them  
**Brienne WTF** : That should turn them off  
**My cell** : It did the opposite for me

He really hoped she was smiling right now. 

**Brienne WTF** : Well  
**Brienne WTF** : There's no accounting for taste  
**Brienne WTF** : 😁  
**Brienne WTF** : I'm going to go inside  
**Brienne WTF** : If you have any fish questions, you know where to find me

An hour later, having made it relatively unscathed through the human obstacle course in the living room, Jaime called her from the relative privacy of his bedroom. 

“Hi,” she said, picking up after the first ring.

“Hi. I have a fish question.” 

“Really?” she asked, sounding genuinely surprised. 

“No,” he said, grinning. “I just wanted to talk to you. Do you have time?”

“Yes,” she said, gratifyingly quickly. “But you have to promise me something first.”

Intriguing. “Sure, what is it?”

“That you won't let me keep you up really late.”

“I promise,” he said. 

It was not a promise that he kept, but neither of them seemed to mind.


	9. Eight and A Half Conversations Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight conversations not between Jaime and Brienne, and half of one that was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like a little musical accompaniment, I listened to Florida Georgia Line's "Second Guessing" a NUMBER of times while writing this.

**1\. Tuesday**

“Tell me everything.”

Brienne rolled her eyes and opened the menu. “Can we at least order first?”

“No,” Margaery insisted, keeping her menu closed. “I brought you here for gossip, not food.”

“Well, I'm hungry,” Brienne said, studying the menu. 

“Worked up an appetite with Bar Boy today?”

Brienne snickered in spite of herself and glanced at her friend. “His name is Jaime.” 

“I'm well aware of what his name is. I've talked to you five times since you broke up with Hyle and you've said Jaime's name approximately a thousand times during that span.” Margaery waved her menu accusingly at Brienne. They were in one of their favorite spots, a rundown Pentoshi place with some of the best food in the district. Neither of them really needed to look at the menu to know what they wanted. 

“I'm sure you're exaggerating,” Brienne muttered. Maybe she'd try something new today; that would _really_ surprise Margaery. 

“Jaime helped me feed the fish,” Margaery cooed in a breathy, higher-than-normal tone voice. “Jaime bought me stuffed animals. Jaime is soooooo funny.” 

“I don't sound like that,” Brienne said, her face hot. 

“You basically do. And you haven't even sent me a single picture of him!”

Giving up her delaying tactics for lost, Brienne closed her menu. “What does it matter what he looks like?”

“Because when you first met Hyle you kept going on about how handsome he was, and now you don't talk about what Jaime looks like at all.” 

“So you think he's ugly?”

“Oh no, friend, I know you too well for that. He must be really cute.” When Brienne frowned at her, Margaery waved her menu again. “If he hadn't been attractive, you would have been talking him up, because you're a softie and you'd want us all to like him. Downplaying means you think he's too good-looking for you, which is insane because you are literally the best person on the planet.” 

Brienne shook her head at her friend, but she smiled, too. Margaery was always A Lot, but she was devoted, too, and had spent hours reassuring and complimenting Brienne over the course of their friendship. “He is pretty handsome,” Brienne allowed, which even she knew was a ridiculous understatement. But how could she describe what he looked like without sounding like she was either making it up or totally besotted? 

Which, she suspected, she might be already. They'd had such a good time that morning just feeding the fish, stealing kisses from each other and laughing about her charges' antics. When she'd bent to feed the turtles again, she'd also realized why exactly Jaime had paused to watch her so intently, and then she'd found additional reasons to bend down near the turtles, feeling daring and happy when she felt him watching her every time. Brienne had never had someone watch her so attentively, and even though she normally hated when people looked at her, she found herself enjoying Jaime's attention.

“I need a photo,” Margaery said. “Surely you've got something on your phone?”

“I don't,” Brienne said. Neither one of them had thought of it, and now she regretted not having a picture of him she could share. 

“Text him and ask for one.”

“ _Now?_ ”

“Yes!”

“Margaery, he's working. I'm not going to bug him at work so you can see what he looks like.” 

She lifted a perfect eyebrow. “If you don't, then I'm just going to go see him at his bar after we're done here.”

Brienne covered her face and sighed. “Fine. But I am blaming you entirely.” 

“Please do. Tell him to make it a good angle, I need to be impressed.” 

Brienne wasn't worried about that. She wasn't sure Jaime had a bad angle. 

**Me** : Hey. I know you're probably busy  
**Me** : But I'm having dinner with Margaery  
**Me** : She asked to see a picture of you  
**Me** : She's relentless  
**Me** : Can you please send me a photo?  
**Me** : Anything is fine

“There, I asked. Can we order now, please?” Brienne said.

“Yes, although I'm not done asking you about this. You haven't told me how the date went yesterday.” 

“It was good,” Brienne said, opening the menu again, determined to order something different today. 

She could _feel_ Margaery's narrow-eyed stare. “Did you sleep with him?” she asked. 

“What? No!” Brienne said, overheating again. Her phone dinged. “I've barely known him a week. It was a first date.” 

“A first date after you've seen him a bunch of times. Besides, there's no shame in it even if it was a first date.” 

Brienne checked the message, and then the picture that Jaime had sent, and her blush got worse. 

“Is that him? Gods, Brienne, you look like you're going to melt right there in your seat, let me see.”

Screwing her eyes shut, Brienne handed her phone over to Margaery, who took it and then gasped loudly. 

“Are you fucking serious?” she said, laughing in high-pitched disbelief. “This is the guy you described as _pretty handsome_?” 

“Well that picture isn't entirely fair, he's in a tux.” 

“He's in a partially undone tux. But he could be in a pool full of diamonds and he'd still be the most attractive part. _Pretty handsome_ ,” she said, snorting. “You're pretty full of shit.” 

Brienne yanked her phone back, glanced at the photo and flushed again. 

“Is he a model part-time or something?” Margaery asked. “Because if he's not, he should be.”

Brienne's phone dinged again. 

**Jaime L.** : How was that?  
**Me** : You might have overdone it  
**Me** : Why were you in a tux?  
**Jaime L.** : I was getting ready for Tyrion's wedding

“Tell him to send another picture,” Margaery said. “I want to see him in his natural habitat.” 

“He's not a zoo animal,” Brienne protested. 

“Don't look so offended, I know you want more pictures of him on your phone, too. I'm just helping.” 

She wasn't entirely wrong about that. Besides, Brienne could barely look at the tux photo without a fresh rush of warmth in her cheeks. She needed a photo she could send her dad. 

**Me** : Can you send one more please?  
**Me** : Just take one at the bar  
**Jaime L.** : Was I not handsome enough?  
**Me** : No! You were too handsome  
**Jaime L.** : 😁😁😁😁  
**Jaime L.** : Is that what she thought or what you thought?  
**Me** : Both of us  
**Jaime L.** : 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁  
**Jaime L.** : Those are for you  
**Jaime L.** : Give me a minute, I'll have Pod take a picture

Brienne and Margaery ordered, and Margaery gaped at her when Brienne went far off-menu for her meal. 

“Well, Bar Boy is having quite the effect on you,” Margaery said, smiling wickedly. 

“Please stop calling him that.”

“You're right, that's not a good name. I should call him Bar _Man_. There's no boy there.” 

“Oh gods,” Brienne groaned, saved by the ding of an incoming message. “That makes him sound like a superhero.”

“If the cape fits,” Margaery said. 

Brienne stuck her tongue out at her friend and then opened the new photo from Jaime. He was standing at the bar, leaning his hip against it, his arms folded over a plain, deep purple t-shirt. He was wearing simple blue jeans, and his golden hair was a little mussed, like he'd been running his hands through it. He was smiling, his real smile not his polite bartender smile. Any other person would have looked decent, not spectacular, but Jaime was not normal. With a sigh, Brienne handed Margaery her phone. 

The other woman took it and laughed again. “Wow. How do you do anything when he's around? I'd just stare at him constantly.” 

“You get used to it,” Brienne said, which was a lie. 

“I can't believe you didn't sleep with him.” 

“Margaery,” she groaned. “I broke up with Hyle a week and a half ago.” 

“Oh, fuck Hyle. He was not the man for you. This one,” Margaery waggled Brienne's phone at her, “this is the one for you.” 

“You don't even know him,” Brienne said, taking her phone back. It dinged again. 

**Jaime L.** : Better?  
**Me** : Yes, thanks  
**Jaime L.** : Do you still think I'm handsome?  
**Me** : Of course I do  
**Jaime L.** : 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁  
**Jaime L.** : Good  
**Jaime L.** : Will you send me a picture of you, too?  
**Jaime L.** : I like seeing your face 

“I don't need to know him,” Margaery said, picking up her water. “I just need to know he makes you look like that when you're talking to him.” She smiled at Brienne. “Since you're going off-script tonight, let's have some wine with dinner. Maybe you'll get drunk enough you'll sext him.” 

“Never,” Brienne said, laughing. But they flagged down the waiter and ordered a bottle.

* * *

**2\. Tuesday (Later)**

Around ten that night during a rush in his shift, Jaime received an unexpected text from Brienne.

 **Brienne WTF** : Jaime WTKERHFAIB

He studied it but couldn't make out at all what she meant, and then he had two more hands asking for beers so he slipped his phone back in his pocket and went back to work. Twenty minutes later when he had a chance to breathe, he replied. 

**My cell** : I give up. What does WTKERHFAIB stand for?  
**My cell** : Or did you somehow butt-text me?  
**Brienne WTF** : she drunk txtd u  
**Brienne WTF** : this is Margaery  
**Brienne WTF** : screaming orgasm friend  
**My cell** : I remember  
**My cell** : Why is Brienne drunk?  
**Brienne WTF** : that was me 2  
**Brienne WTF** : we were having girls night  
**Brienne WTF** : talking abt u

Jaime grimaced but he suspected that discussion had been pushed entirely by Margaery. 

**My cell** : Why do you have her phone now?  
**Brienne WTF** : i took it 2 keep her frm embarrassing herself  
**Brienne WTF** : she was ready 2 type some things she wldnt w/o drink  
**Brienne WTF** : u better be nice 2 her  
**My cell** : Did you threaten Hyle, too?  
**My cell** : Because that didn't work out so well  
**Brienne WTF** : wow u r spicy  
**Brienne WTF** : i like it  
**Brienne WTF** : but ur right  
**Brienne WTF** : & i wont make that mistake again  
**My cell** : You don't have to worry about me  
**My cell** : Like I keep telling Brienne, I'm not Hyle  
**Brienne WTF** : good  
**Brienne WTF** : send her more pictures  
**Brienne WTF** : she really liked those  
**My cell** : Is she home?  
**Brienne WTF** : yeah  
**Brienne WTF** : sleeping already  
**My cell** : Thanks for watching out for her  
**Brienne WTF** : of course  
**Brienne WTF** : u 2  
**Brienne WTF** : i WILL rip ur dick off if u hurt her tho

* * *

****

**3\. Wednesday**

“Good afternoon!”

Brienne looked up from her phone, where she was trying to avoid telling Jaime what her drunken acronym from last night meant, and saw Arianne walking into the store. It was warm today and Brienne had the door open, welcoming in the breeze and the chatter of people walking by outside. But with her attention so focused on her phone, every customer was a surprise without the cheerful ring of the bell to warn her. 

“Hello,” Brienne said, smiling. “Where's Mycah?”

“At day camp. I thought I'd come in to talk turtles with you while he was busy.” 

Arianne was wearing a cheerful summer dress and white sandals, her hair pulled up into a loose bun. She looked like a model, and Brienne smoothed down her men's polo shirt awkwardly. It hadn't escaped her notice that Jaime had barely even looked at Arianne last week, but she was still glad he wasn't here in person this week. Comparisons didn't do Brienne any favors, either. 

“I'm happy to help you pick out the perfect starter set for Mycah.” She led Arianne to the turtle section. “Even though we keep Horas and Hobber together here, most turtles are happier on their own, and since you'll be moving them into a new space, I would recommend getting him just one.” 

“I'm so relieved to hear that,” Arianne said, exhaling. 

Brienne grinned a little. “Not a turtle fan?”

“No. But Mycah loves them so much,” she said, shrugging a little. “And I love him. So here we are.”

“You're a good mom,” Brienne said. 

Arianne smiled, happy. “I'm trying.” 

They spent ten minutes talking about size and placement, food and heating, and by the end of it, there was a pile of equipment on the counter. As Brienne started ringing her up, her phone dinged. She glanced at it, quickly read Jaime's message, and grinned. 

“Is that your boyfriend?” Arianne asked lightly, watching her. 

It took Brienne a second for her brain to figure out who Arianne meant. “Jaime?”

“He was the one who was here last week, right? Tall, handsome, totally into you?”

Brienne flushed. “He's not... I mean we've been on one official date. Two if you count yesterday.” Which Jaime had, since he'd explicitly asked her out on a third date tonight after she was off work. 

“One date is enough, if you both agree to it.” 

“Yeah, that's true.” Brienne turned the idea over in her mind. Last week he'd been entirely unbothered by Arianne's assumption he already was Brienne's boyfriend. Even though she'd just ended a relationship, the idea of sliding into a new one didn't feel unpleasant, especially with Jaime. Of course, her relationship with Hyle had ended long before she told him she was done. And the more time she and Jaime spent together – the more he learned about her – he seemed only more interested, not less. 

“I guess he is,” Brienne said, staring down at the container of turtle food in her hand. “Jaime is my boyfriend.” 

“Good for you,” Arianne said, and when Brienne looked up, the other woman looked genuinely delighted for her, no trace of mockery or disbelief. “He'll be thrilled to hear it if you haven't told him yet.” 

Brienne huffed a laugh. “How do you know that?”

“I saw him with you last week. He looked just like Rhaenys does when she's feeling extra sappy about me. It's cute.” 

“Yeah,” Brienne agreed, smiling softly down at her phone where the message from Jaime waited. “Here, let me get you rung up, I didn't mean to take up more of your day.” 

“Are you kidding? I love hearing about people's happy love lives. You're welcome to give me weekly updates when we come in on Sundays. It's better than only watching the turtles for an hour.”

“Mycah does love the turtles. Are you going to get him Horas or Hobber?” 

“I'll let him choose. But I'm sure he'll want to come back and visit the other one every Sunday anyway.” 

“He's welcome any time. You're all welcome,” Brienne said, and she smiled at Arianne, feeling the most relaxed she'd ever been around the other woman. 

“Good,” Arianne said, smiling back. 

Brienne packed all of the items into the tank. “Do you need help carrying this out?” 

“No, I've got it,” Arianne said as she hefted everything with an admirable amount of strength; Brienne would have to stop making her own assumptions, too, she realized. “Tell your boyfriend I said congratulations.” 

“He'll be thrilled to hear it, I'm sure,” Brienne said, grinning.

* * *

****

**3.5. Wednesday (1 Minute Later)**

After Arianne left, Brienne changed Jaime's name in her contacts and then sent him a screenshot of it. His response was swift.

 **Jaime (Boyfriend)** : 😮😮😮😮😁😁😁😀😀😀😀😀😊😊😊😊😊  
**Jaime (Boyfriend)** : I'm still calling you Brienne WTF though  
**Jaime (Boyfriend)** : 😘😘😘😘😘

* * *

****

**4\. Thursday**

“Isn't it your day off?” Tyrion asked when he found Jaime fully dressed before noon on Thursday.

“Yeah, I'm taking Brienne lunch.” 

Tyrion groaned, loudly and long. “I thought you were having dinner with her tonight? Just like last night. And Monday night. And--”

“Your disapproval is noted, Tyrion, thank you,” Jaime said wryly. 

“Ah, you've misread me. It's disgust, not disapproval. Not because of her, I haven't even met the woman,” he added pointedly. “It's because of you.”

“What did _I_ do?” 

“You're infatuated. It's gross.” 

Jaime chuckled. “That's rich coming from you. I do still live with you and your pregnant wife. You think I don't see the doe eyes you give her and her belly all the time?”

“At least we've been together for longer than a couple of weeks.”

Jaime waved that off. “Who cares how long it's been? Attraction is attraction.” 

“Jaime,” Tyrion said in the patient voice that made him sound like he was the older brother, not Jaime. “This is not simple attraction. That's what happened with Cersei – you had sex with her the first night you met her and then it took months for you to convince yourself you were in love with her.” 

“That's not fair. I did love her for awhile.”

Tyrion grimaced. “Yes, you did, for far too long.”

“We'v had this discussion plenty of times, Tyrion, can we be done having it? I've moved on. My heart is mine to give.” 

“Not any more it's not,” Tyrion said mildly. 

Jaime tucked the sandwiches he made into the small cooler. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean did fish girl even ask you to bring her lunch?”

“No, _Brienne_ did not. I'm surprising her.” 

“And you're looking forward to seeing her, even though you just saw her last night?” 

“Yes,” Jaime said slowly. 

“She'll be happy to see you, too, I expect?”

“I think so, yes.”

“And you're still going to be excited to see her tonight?”

“Yes. Can you please just make your point?”

“My point, dear brother, is your heart doesn't belong to _you_ anymore, but seems to me to be in the keeping of the fish-loving woman you refuse to let me meet.” 

“What?” Jaime zipped the cooler closed. “No. That's impossible. I've only known her a couple of weeks.” 

“Didn't you just tell me 'who cares how long it's been'?” Tyrion said, tilting his head up. 

“For attraction, yes. But for the other?”

“Let's say you aren't at least a little in love with her yet,” Tyrion allowed. “What would materially change if you were? Would you think about her more? Would you get that dopey smile more often when you did? Would you want to be around her more frequently than you already do? Would your heart really feel any differently than it does now?” 

Jaime stared, shocked into silence. He opened his mouth to say _something_ , but he had no idea what, so he closed it again. 

“Just a little tidbit for you to mull over on the terribly long walk to your girlfriend's store,” Tyrion said, smiling brightly. “I do have one favor to ask of you, though.” 

“Yes?” Jaime managed. Single syllable words were the extent of what his brain was capable of at the moment. 

“Will you at least bring her over in the next few days so we can meet her before you get married?” Tyrion asked, laughing at Jaime's glare.

* * *

****

**5\. Friday**

“You're sure you don't mind?” Jaime asked Ygritte for the fourth time.

She waved the bottle she was holding threateningly. “I'm gonna break this over your thick skull if you ask me again,” she warned him. 

Jaime held his hands up in surrender. “I just don't want you to feel like I'm using boss privileges to force you into this.” 

“Do you really think I'd let a boss force me into anything?” Ygritte said, lifting one elegant red eyebrow. 

“I suppose not. I appreciate it, Ygritte.”

“Aye, I know. And you'll be quite grateful for months, too, I expect.” 

Jaime laughed ruefully. “I await your list of demands.” 

“They won't be excessive. I've already worked the last couple of Mondays, and it's a good shift. Makes my schedule a little smoother, anyway, to give up Thursdays to you. Besides.” She nudged him with her foot. “Don't want to stand in the way of true love.” 

He shook his head and studiously turned back to the order he was closing out. “Why does everybody keep saying that?” 

“Seems like you should be asking yourself that question, not me.” 

Jaime had been asking himself that question quite frequently since Tyrion had posed it to him. Brienne had been thrilled to see him for lunch, and they'd both been happy to see each other again for dinner. Could he really be in love with her already? Could she be with him? 

The attraction was real, at least. Their goodbye kiss had been long and enticing, and when he'd cupped his hands around her face her skin had been warm under his palms. All he could think of last night was wondering if she was that warm all over. 

Maybe it was simply the physical attraction he was feeling. 

Jaime handed off the receipt and credit card, checked the tip for Ygritte after the woman had left and shook his head. Brienne would tip well, he thought proudly. Not just because of how Ygritte looked or smiled at her, either, but because that was just how Brienne was: tall and strong and kind and shy and stubborn and interesting and oh gods.

He was _in love with her_.

* * *

****

**6\. Saturday**

“Brienne!”

Brienne looked up from where she'd just started down the sidewalk to her car and saw Mrs. P waving at her from the window. “Good morning, Mrs. P.” 

“Do you have a minute? I need help lifting something.” 

She checked the time on her phone and nodded. “I'll be right there.” 

In front of the door of Mrs. P's apartment was a box that took effort for even Brienne to lift. She waddled with it to the table and set it down carefully. “What's in there?” she asked when Mrs. P clapped her hands and started hacking at the tape on top with a knife. 

“Fancy dishes.” She pulled open the flaps with trembling hands and lifted out what looked like a carefully wrapped plate. “I've never had fancy dishes before. So I ordered some.” 

Mrs. P ripped awkwardly at the paper and Brienne picked up another plate. “Can I help you unwrap these?”

“If you have time, dear. That would be wonderful.” 

They worked together, unveiling a complete set of dinnerware, deep blue along the edges and decorated with small birds perched amongst delicate, curling gold filigree. 

“These are lovely,” Brienne said, smiling. Mrs. P held one up to look more closely at it, a beatific smile on her face. “What made you decide to buy them?”

“I'm old and I wanted them.”

“I thought maybe you'd have a gentleman caller you were using them on,” Brienne said, teasing her. 

Mrs. P scoffed. “I've never met a man worth wasting fancy dishes on.”

“I'm sure there's _some_ man who's worth it,” Brienne said, thinking of Jaime. He'd appreciate them, she was certain. It wouldn't surprise her if he already had a set he was waiting to pass on to his children someday. 

“That's just because you're goofy in love,” Mrs. P said, rolling her eyes. 

“I'm _what?_ ” Brienne gaped.

It was probably a good thing Mrs. P's glasses were so thick, or the cut of the look she sliced towards Brienne might have actually hurt. 

“In my day you didn't kiss a man like that if you weren't already in love with him.” 

Brienne's face burned and she gently set the serving dish she was holding down. “Were you spying on us?”

“Not my fault you were right outside my window,” Mrs. P sniffed. “But I am glad you've moved on to tongue.”

“Oh gods,” Brienne groaned clapping both of her hands over her face. “It was dark.”

“Not dark enough. I have good night vision. Anyway, none of that sounds like a denial.”

“I've known him two weeks,” Brienne protested, dropping her hands. 

“So? I once fell madly in love with a man I met on a beach in Sunspear. Best sex of my life,” she sighed. “We spent five days together.”

“What happened?”

“He had to stay because of his family and his work and I had to get back to my work way up in Winterfell. Loved him so much I almost didn't leave, but I knew my parents would kill me; women didn't get as many opportunities back then. It was the right decision – no woman should change her whole life just for a man. But at the time I was heartbroken.” 

“How did you know you loved him after five days?” Brienne asked. “Couldn't it just have been the sex?”

“It could have. I definitely thought I was in love with a man before, when I was actually in love with his pecker. But it was different with this man. We were just as happy out of bed as in it, for one. And he was a noisy chewer.” 

Brienne frowned. “A noisy chewer?”

Mrs. P huffed, impatient. “Eating meals with him was terrible. Chewed with his mouth open. I didn't think it was cute, it was annoying. But I wanted to eat every meal with him anyway because I loved him. Best pecker in the world isn't going to make me overlook a noisy chewer. But I'd forgive it to be with someone I loved. When I was back in Winterfell I even missed it as much as I missed him, but no other noisy chewer would do. Only him.” She picked up one of the dishes and toddled over to the cupboard to put it away. “Don't let me keep you, you looked like you were off somewhere.” 

Brienne checked her watch and winced. Unless traffic was surprisingly good, she'd be late to open the store. It had been worth it, though, just to learn a little more about Mrs. P. 

As for the rest... she wasn't at all ready to poke at that yet. 

“Have you ever looked him up?” Brienne asked as she gathered her things. 

“No. I fell in love again, a couple of times, and now I'm happy to be ninety with my own set of fancy plates.” She grinned and waved one and Brienne worried about the woman's skinny wrists for a moment. 

“Wouldn't it be funny if he were still alive, too?”

“Only someone in love would think that could happen,” Mrs. P snorted. 

Brienne, still blushing, bid Mrs. P goodbye and hurried out of the apartment. Just as she stepped back onto the sidewalk, Mrs. P called her name again. 

“I'm sorry Mrs. P, I really need to get going.”

“I just wanted to tell you good job on the new boyfriend,” the old woman said, grinning. “He's almost as hot as my Dornish boy was. Maybe I will look him up. I bet he aged well.” 

“You do that, Mrs. P,” Brienne said, laughing a little. 

“Feel free to kiss outside my window whenever you want!” Mrs. P shouted as Brienne hustled down the street to her car.

* * *

****

**7\. Still Saturday**

Jaime slammed his phone down on the counter, fuming. Tysha looked over from the couch, eyebrows raised.

“Everything all right?” she asked. 

“Your husband is a pain in the ass,” Jaime ground out. 

“That's sometimes true, yes. What's he doing now?”

“He won't leave me alone about Brienne.” 

Tysha shut the book she was reading on her finger and draped her arms over the back of the couch. “He wants to meet her. So do I, honestly.”

“It's not that. Well, it's not just that. He won't stop bugging me about telling her I love her.” 

“Ah.” Jaime hadn't talked to Tysha about Tyrion's observation, but he was not surprised to find Tysha did not look shocked by this news. “Why don't you tell her?”

“You're no help.”

“It's a fair question, Jaime,” Tysha said, unruffled. “Are you worried about what she thinks?”

“Maybe.” Jaime sighed and scrubbed his hands through his hair. “She's been patient with all of my... everything. But this is too much to throw at her. It hasn't even been two weeks.” 

“Your 'everything'?” Tysha frowned at him. “What does that mean?”

“You know – seeing her a bunch, texting her all the time. The stuffed sea animals thing.”

“Does she seem like she's just grinning and bearing all that? Because if she's anything like she was that first night, I don't think it's requiring endurance.” 

Brienne _had_ come to see him at work last night as a surprise, had brought him food and then kissed him with enough interest in his office that he'd had to remind himself of the thin walls. And Brienne had been texting him just as easily as he texted her; it seemed they were always in the middle of one conversation or another. He'd even finally coaxed the meaning of the drunk acronym out of her, to his great delight, not to mention the official change of phone contact status to Boyfriend that had sent Jaime's heart into orbit when she'd shown him. Cersei had been a master at seeming just interested enough that Jaime had learned to spot faking from a mile away. Brienne's interest was always genuine. He didn't think those eyes of hers would let her lie. 

“When do you see her next?” Tysha asked. 

“Monday. She's leaving tonight after work to visit her dad and brother and she doesn't get back until late tomorrow, so she's going to take me out scuba diving on Monday.” Jaime came around the couch and sat down. “What should I do?”

“I think you should tell her, in person, on Monday.” 

“What if I freak her out?”

“That's a possibility,” Tysha admitted. Jaime moaned and buried his face in his hands. Tysha rubbed his back. “Your feelings aren't going to get any smaller if you keep it to yourself. And please take this with all the love you know I have for you, Jaime, but you are terrible at keeping your feelings to yourself.” 

“I know,” he mumbled into his hands. 

“But the good news is at least it will be out.”

“That could be awful news.”

“Well.” Tysha rubbed his back again. “I feel good about this.”

Jaime turned his head to peek at her, and she was smiling warmly at him. “Is that just because you're pregnant and everything is glowing and happy due to hormones?”

“No. It's because no matter what certain people have made you think, you are extremely lovable. And if this woman is even half as great as you say she is, she'll see that, too.” 

“She's even greater,” Jaime said, smiling a little. 

“I'd like a chance to actually get to talk to her myself someday.”

“If it goes well on Monday,” Jaime said, “I promise I will bring her home to meet you guys.” 

“Then I'll prepare dinner for all four of us, because I know it's gonna go fantastically,” Tysha said, and Jaime was heartened by the confident gleam in her eyes.

* * *

****

**8\. Sunday**

“Ugh, Galladon, get your butt out of my face, I'm trying to watch TV.”

Gal slowed down even more as he edged by her in-between the couch and the coffee table. She pressed a hand to his waist and shoved him aside, and he went toppling over with a shout. 

“Try not to kill each other or I'll eat all your waffles,” their dad called from the kitchen. “Actually, you know what? Go ahead, I'm hungry.” 

They both stuck their tongues out at the kitchen door even though Selwyn couldn't see them, and Gal got to his feet and flopped into the armchair he'd been headed for. Brienne was taking up the couch with her legs stretched out on it and she had not been interested in moving to give him space. 

“I don't believe you're watching this at all,” Gal said while Brienne snickered at a text from Jaime. 

“I am,” she insisted, glancing at the TV. “I love shows about food processors. Four easy payments and it could be yours.” 

“Who are you talking to? Is it Margaery?” he asked with enough non-casual interest that Brienne made a face at him. 

“No. And even if it was, I wouldn't let you talk to her.” 

“Four years is not that big of an age difference, if that's what you're worried about.” 

“It's more the fact that she's my closest friend,” Brienne said. Her phone dinged and she glanced down at the message and smiled. 

“Oh that is definitely not Margaery,” Galladon said, leaning forward. “Is it a boy? Should I tell Dad you're texting with a boy?”

Brienne rolled her eyes. “Since I'm an adult now, no.” 

“This is the new one, right? That you went to the aquarium with?”

“Jaime,” she said, and when Galladon grinned at her, she knew she hadn't said his name as off-handedly as she'd hoped. 

“ _Jaime_ ,” Gal said in a fluttery voice. “How are things going with _Jaime_?”

“Quit it.”

He nudged her foot with his, easily reaching her up on the couch. Galladon was as tall and broad as she was, though his build and height and features made him more attractive, not less like it did for her. “Come on, Brie, tell me about him. All I know is you broke up with that scumbag Hyle and then Jaime swooped into your life and you haven't said much else.” 

“We're dating,” she said, shrugging a little. “He's fun to hang out with.”

“Does he like fish?”

“He likes them enough to listen to me go on about them. And I'm taking him scuba diving tomorrow.”

“You should have brought him here so we could teach him.”

“We haven't even been dating a week, why would I bring him to meet my family already? Just because I really like him doesn't mean I want to--to marry him.” 

Galladon looked confused. “What? I just wanted to teach him scuba diving in Tarth, the water's much clearer here.” 

“Oh.” Brienne stared back down at her phone, but there were no new messages. Gal tapped her foot again. 

“You seem kind of tense there,” he said calmly. “About the whole Jaime thing.” 

“I'm not tense,” she muttered. “You just weren't clear on your question.” 

“I don't recall saying anything about meeting the family or marriage. That's quite a leap to make.” 

Brienne watched the overly-excitable announcer scream at the audience about how amazing the food processor was. “It was a simple mistake.” 

“Do you like-like this guy?” Galladon asked. 

“I'm not twelve, Gal. I like him just fine.” She rubbed her phone against her pajama pants and considered how long she could put this conversation off by escaping to the kitchen to help their father. 

“You know what I mean. Is it serious?” 

_As a heart attack_ , she thought. Since her talk with Mrs. P yesterday morning, Brienne had been able to think of little else than her feelings for Jaime. Her already-scheduled trip to see her dad and Gal had seemed like the perfect opportunity to put some emotional distance between them, and Jaime had agreed to minimal contact while she was on Tarth. But when Brienne had woken up that morning in her old room, the first thing she'd done was text him good morning and when he'd been up she'd called him and they'd had a half hour conversation about travel and childhood that she'd only ended because she really had to go to the bathroom. 

Galladon was watching her quietly, his eyes more gray than blue, like their father's. They'd fought a lot growing up, but she'd always felt he was on her side for the big stuff, especially once he got into high school and could roam more freely. The independence had made him more protective of his little sister; the separation had made them both more patient with each other. The older they both got, the better their relationship became. 

“It's pretty serious,” she admitted. 

“Really? Already?”

She shrugged helplessly. “He's really... wonderful.” 

Gal's eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “That's a tone of voice I've never heard from you. Even with Hyle.” 

“I might, uh, love him?” she squeaked. She hadn't said it out loud, had barely even looked at the word too closely for fear it would dissipate and leave her alone. 

“Well.” Gal sat back in the chair. “Well.”

“I know.” Brienne sighed. 

“Are you gonna tell him?”

“Of course I'm not gonna tell him. We've been dating for a week! Who tells someone they love you after a week? A desperate loser who doesn't know anything, that's who.” 

“Hey, I don't let people talk about my sister that way,” Galladon said seriously. “Not even you.”

“Sorry.” 

“Apologize to yourself, not me.” 

“Gal.”

“Go on,” he said sternly, looking and sounding shockingly like their father. 

“I'm sorry, self, I didn't mean to say those things.” Brienne glared at Galladon and he nodded in approval. 

“Better. Now, _have_ you been desperate? Did you throw yourself at him from the first? Is he mostly ignoring you while you initiate all the contact?”

In spite of her nerves and worry, Brienne laughed a little. “No, not at all. Jaime contacted me first. He asked me out first. He's listened to me talk for hours about fish and never complained or even looked bored. We talk about all kinds of things every day.” 

“Hm.” Galladon steepled his fingers in front of himself. “In my professional opinion, you are neither desperate, nor a loser.” 

“Thank you, Doctor,” she said, poking his elbow with her toes. 

“I'm serious,” he said, lightly smacking her foot. “I heard you laughing this morning before you got up and I thought you were watching some really great fish videos, but you weren't, were you?” 

“No, I was talking to Jaime,” she admitted. 

“Brienne, you have never sounded like that talking about Hyle, or frankly any boy I can remember.”

“There weren't that many,” she said wryly. 

“Exactly. If this one makes you that happy, then I love him, too.” He grinned at her, a charming flash of big teeth, and Brienne felt herself smiling in return. 

“He made a dogfish joke,” she said, remembering suddenly. 

“Oh, well, then I definitely love him and you should absolutely bring him home to meet us. You can't let a man of such good taste go.” 

“You're the worst,” she said, laughing. 

“Too bad it's genetic.” He grabbed the remote out of her hand and changed the channel. “My turn on the TV, as payment for my good advice.” 

“You didn't give me any advice.” 

“Then here it is: as long as he's treating you well, let yourself be in love with him, regardless of how long you've been together.”

“Should I tell him?”

“Do you want to?” Gal asked, clicking through channels. Their father refused to upgrade to a DVR, let alone streaming. 

“Only if he feels it, too,” she said, going for honesty. 

“You won't know that unless you tell him first,” Gal said gently. 

“I know.” She looked down at her phone. 

“Do you think he does?” he asked, curious. 

Brienne opened the last photo Jaime had sent, a selfie of him outside of her store from the other day, pointing at her inside, barely visible at the counter helping some customer. Brienne had thought he was gone already after their lunch together, and had no idea he'd stayed behind to take this picture. He looked undeniably happy, his whole face lit. She thought of kissing him, of the fun they had doing the simplest things, of the text exchange he and Margaery had had on her phone. Then she thought about her apartment, the place she still hadn't been entirely brave enough to take him yet. 

“I don't know,” Brienne said. 

“That's not a no,” Galladon replied. 

It wasn't. But she couldn't be sure until she showed him her home. She would do that, and if he didn't scurry away in terror, then she'd tell him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are the plates I was thinking of: https://www.englishteastore.com/royal-blue-bird-porcelain-dessert-plate-set.html
> 
> Oh and Jaime WTKERHFAIB is "Jaime-With-The-Kind-Eyes-Ridiculously-Handsome-Face-And-Incredible-Body."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I missed you,” he said, his breath hot on her neck. 
> 
> It had only been two days but she'd missed him, too. It didn't help she'd admitted to herself the true depth of her feelings for him; Tarth had never seemed so far away from King's Landing as it had on the journey home last night. The urge to tell him everything in that moment filled her mouth, but she only vigorously nodded in silence in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’d like some musical accompaniment for this chapter, Sara Bareilles’ “I Choose You” fits great.

They met Monday morning at a quiet cove used for scuba instruction. There were a few other diving pairs suiting up when Brienne emerged from the scrubby, worn-down path that wove between two low cliffs out onto the beach. Jaime wasn't there yet, but she'd told him a later time to give her a chance to get their equipment ready. She didn't want to have to try to focus on safety preparation with him standing there in a bathing suit. 

Brienne had her wetsuit half-on in the heat, the top folded down at the waist. The cove had a diving school shack that Brienne had rented from before, but she felt more comfortable in her own. She picked one out for Jaime, though, and then started preparing tanks and belts and masks, checking connections and airflow, hefting weights to gauge balance. By the time she'd started looking at flippers for both of them, she heard two nearby women talking. 

“Who is _that_?” one of them said. “And does he need a diving partner?”

Brienne didn't have to turn to know it had to be Jaime. When she did, she exhaled noisily in a brief blast of air. Not seeing him for two full days had erased whatever limited defense she'd had against his good looks. Though she didn't think she could have ever been prepared for his short, tight diving trunks and unbuttoned shirt, and especially not the utter joy in his smile when he spotted her and waved. It was like a scene from a movie when he broke into a jog, as though even an extra thirty seconds was much too long to wait. 

“Are you serious?” the other woman said, but Brienne didn't have time to be embarrassed or upset because Jaime was there, swooping her into his arms and kissing her hard. 

Brienne met him with equal enthusiasm, forgetting about the women entirely. It was impossible to care about anything else when Jaime was there, soft mouth and hard everywhere else and she gasped when he pressed all of his body against hers. 

Jaime nipped at her lower lip and then broke the kiss, but he didn't let go, just hugged her more tightly and rested his forehead against her head. 

“I missed you,” he said, his breath hot on her neck. 

It had only been two days but she'd missed him, too. It didn't help she'd admitted to herself the true depth of her feelings for him; Tarth had never seemed so far away from King's Landing as it had on the journey home last night. The urge to tell him everything in that moment filled her mouth, but she only vigorously nodded in silence in response. 

He shifted his hips, nudging her, and she inhaled sharply. It was hard to concentrate when he was so much _there_ against her. 

“I probably should have gone with a swimsuit that was a little less revealing of how much I missed you,” he murmured, a smile in his voice. 

“You're going to have to take care of that before you put your wetsuit on,” she told him. Jaime pulled back a little in her arms and grinned wickedly, and Brienne dropped her head, heat flooding through her. “That's not what I meant,” she mumbled. 

“Looking a little red there, Brienne-with-the-fish. Did you put enough sunscreen on?” he asked, all false innocence.

“Don't poke at your diving instructor before you even get in the water,” she said. He waggled his eyebrows at her meaningfully and she groaned and buried her face in his shoulder. “I hate you.”

“No you don't,” he said, kissing the side of her head. 

She could have stayed there surrounded by his arms and the lightly coconut scent of his own sunscreen all day, but she unwrapped from around him and they put a little distance between themselves. Not much, but enough they weren't touching anymore. 

“You can go in the dive shack if you need to, um, adjust,” Brienne said, not daring to look down this time. 

Jaime smirked. “I'll manage. Although you might need to put your wetsuit all the way on because that bathing suit is very distracting.”

“What, really?” Brienne looked at herself in confusion. It was a simple black one-piece with turquoise designs across the chest and down the sides to make it, and her, look sleeker. But she had no cleavage and the most anyone could see were her shoulders and her back. 

“Yes,” Jaime said, trailing a finger down her arm. “Really.” 

“Oh.” Brienne tugged her wetsuit up and studiously ignored his golden chest shining in the sunlight. “You should put yours on, too,” she said, knowing she was blushing again. “You're even more distracting.” 

He beamed at her and pulled off his shirt, exposing his own shoulders and back. Brienne had never gone literally breathless simply looking at someone before, but it happened when Jaime bent down to grab his wetsuit. She watched the movement of every muscle in his bare back, his biceps, his neck. When he stood again, she was frozen, wide-eyed and staring, one arm in her suit and the other out. In the sunlight, it was easy to see Jaime's pupils widen, swallowing the green with hungry black. 

“Maybe I _will_ change in the shack,” he said, sounding every bit as breathless as she was. Tucking the wetsuit against his lower body, Jaime hurried off as best he could to get dressed while Brienne shamelessly watched him go. The back of his swimsuit was as tight as the front. 

When Jaime emerged again fully suited, the neoprene was so form-fitting that Brienne could only shake her head; she kept her eyes on his bright, smiling face to save herself from ogling him too much. _My boyfriend_ , she thought, trying to bite back an entirely inappropriate grin. Hers to kiss and talk with and make laugh – and ogle occasionally, since he seemed to enjoy it when she did. 

She _should_ send Hyle a thank you card. 

“Okay,” Jaime said, clapping his hands together with a loud crack. “Let's do this.”

* * *

It took nearly an hour to get through the introductory information she'd prepared. Brienne had planned on it taking fifteen minutes, but Jaime kept cutting in with questions and occasionally roaming fingers – and once his roaming lips – and they took a fifteen-minute break to sit on the sand and talk about their weekends. Eventually she finished, and Jaime, with increasing nervousness, regarded the mouthpiece that would be his lifeline to the oxygen tank. 

“Just keep your breathing steady,” she said, not for the first time. Brienne re-adjusted her belt and then checked the tanks one more time. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” he said, and though he was staring resolutely out at sea, there were worried lines between his eyes. 

Brienne kissed him on the cheek. “You'll do fine. It's just the two of us, so we can take it slow. I won't let anything happen to you.” 

Jaime looked at her, his frown easing. “I know. I trust you. It's the ocean I don't trust.” 

“That's not a bad approach,” she said. “Wait until you have a fish swim over your head, though. There's nothing like it.” The tanks were surprisingly heavy, so she squatted to heft one in each hand, straining a little with the weight, and started carrying them down to the entry dock. After a few feet she realized Jaime wasn't following; instead he was where she'd left him, staring open-mouthed. 

“Are you coming?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” he said in a slightly strangled voice. 

Brienne kept the dive simple, swimming a short distance out to a buoy that had a rope attached to the ocean floor twenty feet below. Deep enough to be more than just a swim in the ocean, not so deep they'd have to worry about decompression. She walked Jaime slowly down the rope: five feet, ten, checking with him constantly, watching the faint panic in his eyes slowly leech out with time and confidence. She checked the oxygen gauges, and though he'd been breathing fast and shallow at first, by the time they hit fifteen feet, he'd mellowed out and signs looked good. When their feet touched the floor, he grinned around his regulator and gave her the OK signal without her even having to ask. 

That was when the first fish swam overhead, a group of four bright red garabaldis. Young ones, by the look of their blue spots shimmering in the sunlight that filtered down. Brienne tapped Jaime on the arm and made a look up sign, and he nearly lost his mouthpiece when he did. She moved quickly to shove it back in before he could swallow any seawater. His eyes were a little wild around the edges as he clamped his teeth tightly around the flexible plastic. Brienne squeezed his hand, he squeezed back, and then gave her the OK signal again with a small nod. 

The rest of the dive was peaceful, fish darting over and around them, curious and unafraid in the protected cove. Jaime and Brienne swam a short distance away from the rope to a little rocky clump where urchins and other creatures waved with a hypnotic gentleness. She showed Jaime how to carefully brush them, sent a stream of bubbles up with laughter when he made a goofy face at a slow-passing sea bass. 

It was the perfect afternoon, watching him interact with this world she loved so much. She swam easily around him to check his tank gauges, poked him like a playful mermaid and then darted away to avoid his quick hands. He pointed out every fish with the same enthusiasm as the first, and grabbed her hand and brought it briefly to his chest when he caught her. Brienne knew if she hadn't been in love with him already, it would have happened here. 

When she made the thumbs up to ascend, he nodded but she could see the disappointment in his eyes that it was already over. 

They weren't very deep, but they ascended slowly anyway. Caution in diving had been drilled into Brienne her whole life, and she would make sure Jaime learned it the same way. She was hoping he liked it enough that this would not be a one-time event. 

She was hoping he liked _her_ enough for that, too. 

When they'd finally climbed up the ladder to the dock and were sitting on the sun-warmed planks, breathing fresh air instead of canned, Jaime pulled his mask up and beamed at her. 

“That was incredible,” he said. “Can we do it again some time?” 

Brienne's cheeks stretched with her return smile, and she leaned over and kissed him in response. His lips were cold from the ocean, but the inside of his mouth was hot, and so was his tongue when he teased it against hers. She broke the kiss and licked her lips, tasted salt and him. “Will you come back to my place?” she asked, so fast it was almost one word. 

He nodded a little, and then again, and again, exhaling hard. “Yes,” he said. “I would love that.” 

They both scrambled to their feet, and then laughed as they nearly tripped over themselves in their flippers. It was less dramatic after that: removing the flippers, then kissing. Stowing away their tanks, and more kissing. Brienne took his regulator and mask and headed to the shack to return them. When she came back, she saw one of the women from earlier standing next to Jaime. 

“You need any help unzipping?” the woman asked him. She was pretty and clad in just a bikini now, all shapely curves and bronzed skin. Brienne clutched at her own unzipped wetsuit, holding it closed. 

“No thanks,” Jaime said, barely even looking at the other woman. Instead, he beelined for Brienne and tipped up on his toes to kiss her with an unexpected possessiveness. When he settled back down, he was looking anxiously at her. _He's worried about me_ , she realized. Her heart unfurled entirely for him, for his concern she'd be hurt, for his desire to do what he could to stop it. She kissed him gently. 

“Can I help?” she asked and Jaime nodded with a pleased smile. 

“I was waiting for you,” he said, soft and with more feeling than a wetsuit deserved. Brienne's heart caught in her throat. 

She tugged the zipper down his neck, his hair wet and curling at the nape, and she watched a droplet of water trail down over the bump of his spine and disappear into the wetsuit. Brienne glanced up and the prowling woman had returned to her friend, frowning but gathering up their things to leave. No one seemed to be paying Brienne and Jaime any undue attention. She finished unzipping Jaime's wetsuit down to the top of his swim trunks, revealing the rest of his back. He had goosebumps. 

“Are you done?” he asked in a shaky voice. 

“Yeah,” she said, just as tremulous. 

“Good. We should get going.” 

Brienne nodded and they dealt with the last of their equipment and hurried back to Brienne's car. Jaime had his shirt held in front of him again and a sheepish smile on his face. 

Brienne wasn't sure what part to worry about the most: Jaime finally seeing the inside of her apartment, him seeing the rest of her body, or whether she could get them back to her apartment before she pulled over and tried to jump him in the entirely too cramped compartment. 

They made it, and there was a parking spot sized just right for her econocar near the entrance to her building, a blessing all around as her nerves and her hormones were both surging. On the sidewalk outside, Jaime took her hand, rubbing his thumb over the top of it. 

His solid grip soothed her, and she led him inside, up three flights of stairs, and down the hallway to her door. She fumbled around in the pockets of her cargo pants for her keys, and Jaime squeezed her hand. 

“You can kick me out any time,” he said, patient and kind. Brienne exhaled, biting her lip. 

“No, I... I want you here. Just.” She looked down at the doorknob and unlocked the door. “Please don't laugh.” 

Squaring her shoulders, Brienne pushed the door open and gestured for Jaime to follow her. She looked around her apartment, trying to see it as he would. The immediate area was normal enough: a few hooks on the wall for coats, a little circular holder for her umbrella, two pairs of shoes neatly set against the wall. The bubbling of the tank could be heard but it was quiet and, Brienne thought, peaceful. The dim glow from the tank was also peaceful when it was nighttime, but it was still sunny enough she couldn't rely on that to win Jaime over. 

She stepped into her living room and blew out a long breath. The normality definitely ended here. Jaime stood next to her, his gaze roving over her boat-shaped bookshelf, the fish clock on the wall, the ocean-themed pillows and blanket on her couch. It bounced over the several bowls with bettas on the counter, the various little fish-related knick-knacks she'd collected herself and from family over her life, and ended at the large saltwater aquarium that dominated the far wall. 

“Wow,” he said, heading towards it. He bent to peer at the fish inside. Her favorite kole tang, purple and pink with blue spots, swam near, and Jaime watched with wide eyes. “That fish looks like a rainbow,” he said. 

“That's why I like saltwater fish better, they tend to have brighter colors.”

Her snowflake eel popped out from the rocks, mouth open, waiting to be fed, and Jaime startled back a little. 

“Sorry,” she said, stepping forward. “He's convinced anytime anyone gets near the tank they're going to feed him.”

“You have an _eel_?” Jaime asked, his voice was high and when he looked back over his shoulder, he was grinning like a kid. “That is so cool.” 

A couple of firefish, their red tails beautiful, undulating flags, swam by and captivated Jaime again. “What are those?” he asked.

Brienne bent down next to him, telling him all the types of fish, and their names when he asked, and then got out the food so he could help her feed them. She showed him how she'd trained her eel, Duncan, to take food from her hand, and Jaime stared at Brienne with wide, bright eyes. 

“You're amazing,” he said. 

“It's not that amazing,” she said, blushing a little. “They're very friendly, for eels.” 

Jaime smiled and leaned forward, kissing her softly. “I love you, Brienne-with-the-fish,” he said. 

Brienne's mouth dropped open, wide as her hungry eel. Of all the responses to seeing her apartment, that was one she hadn't considered. She'd just been hoping mostly for him to not run away. “You do?”

“I do.” His face was soft and beaming, gentle as sunlight sparkling on the water on a calm day at the shore. 

“But I'm so weird,” she said, stuck in her astonishment. 

Jaime grinned a little. “No, you're just the right amount of weird.” He curled his hands into her hair and kissed her deeply. “Do you have other fish you can show me?”

“There's, um, a tank in my bedroom,” she said, her voice a whisper. 

“Perfect. I was hoping we'd end up in there.” 

Brienne's whole body went warm and she kissed him, tugging at his lip. “Me too,” she said against his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her, strong and welcoming, but she held him back a little. “Wait, I need to tell you something first.” 

“I have protection in my wallet, don't worry.” 

She chuckled a little, her cheeks heating. “I'm happy to hear that, but that wasn't it. It's... I love you, too, Jaime.” 

“Good,” he said, smiling. Jaime kissed her nose and then lifted her up as she squeaked in surprise. “Then I won't feel weird saying it to you as much as I want to,” he said as he shuffled back to her bedroom with her laughing in his arms, her feet dangling. 

They said it to each other several more times, tender and then heated, until neither of them was capable of speaking at all. 

She introduced him to the rest of her fish much, much later.

* * *

**Two Weeks After That**

Hyle threw his jacket somewhere near the leather armchair in his apartment, grumbling when it hit the back and then slid to the ground. Just another piece of the shitty puzzle his shitty day had been. He left the jacket on the ground and went to the small fridge, dumping his mail on the counter.

After he'd popped the top on a beer and downed half, he flipped aimlessly through the stack – bills, junk mail, charities begging for donations, until he saw a large, purple envelope. Frowning, Hyle picked it up, was shocked to see the return address listed as B. Tarth. 

It wasn't his birthday, but even if it was, he couldn't imagine even dull, nerdy Brienne would be spinelessly kind enough to send a card to her cheating ex-boyfriend. Too bad, really, that she'd caught him; she wasn't much to look at but she did take good care of him and had needed so little in return. 

Intrigued, Hyle ripped open the envelope. The card had a brightly colored school of fish on the front, and in big blocky letters it said _This is an o-FISH-al thank you!_ He rolled his eyes and opened it up. Confetti spilled out all over the counter and onto the floor. 

“What the fuck!” Hyle yelped. A photo fell out, too, and when he looked at it, there was Brienne with that asshole who'd thrown Hyle's stuff at him. They were staring obnoxiously at each other, smiling like dopey idiots. He read the inside of the card, hoping to understand what in the seven hells was happening here.

_Hyle,_

_Thank you for being so awful that I broke up with you. I never would have been this happy without it._

_All the best,  
Brienne_

“Wow,” he said, impressed by the ballsy move in spite of himself. Maybe he'd underestimated her a little. 

Underneath was another note, written in a different hand that had to be from the douchebag she was with. 

_PS – Suck it, loser!_

Hyle ripped up the card and shoved it in the trash. He considered giving the man a piece of his mind, before recalling how much his hand had ached for the rest of the day last time. Whatever. Hyle was happier, too, and if he knew anything about dating Brienne, this entirely-too-handsome jerk would be breaking up with her by the end of the week, if he hadn't already. 

There was no way that guy would be able to stomach her fish thing for longer than that.

* * *

**Another Month Later**

“I can't believe you finally have a place,” Brienne said as Jaime unlocked the door to his new apartment.

“I wanted it to be just right,” he said. Just right for the two of them, though he wasn't quite ready to ask her about that yet. But soon. Not that the apartment itself wouldn't give away what he was hoping for. 

He opened the door and motioned for her to enter first, eager to see her response as she discovered what he'd done. Jaime had gotten Tysha and Tyrion's help in hitting just the right balance of his obsessions – swords mounted over the fireplace, book cover art on the walls, a shelf of action figures – and hers. There was a painting behind the couch of two adorable cartoon fish kissing with heart bubbles floating up, and space for both any tanks she'd want to bring with her as well as the talking fish clock that made her laugh every time it was set off. He loved watching her laugh, her head thrown back, her long neck inviting him in to kiss it, which he frequently did. 

And then there was the bed

“I was hoping to look around a little first,” she said, smiling, when he tugged her that way. “But we can break in the new--” Her voice died when they stepped into the bedroom. “What is that?” she whispered, her voice low and awed. 

He didn't blame her, every time he came in he was impressed anew by the whole thing. The bed itself was nothing overly special: king-sized and tall enough they'd both feel comfortable sitting on the edge of it. But instead of nightstands at either side, there were two, three-drawer dressers that supported the base legs of a huge, arching aquarium that went up and bridged over the top of the bed. It had taken some doing to find someone to make it, and even more to get it installed without Brienne being aware of it, but it was worth all the work for that look on her face. 

“Do you like it? It's saltwater.” It only had two fish in it at the moment, a pair of angelfish he'd named Jaime Jr. and Brienne Jr., which left plenty of room for the fish in her own aquarium. Though if she wanted to keep that, too, he would make room. He'd do whatever he could to make her happy, and it never felt like too much because she was always doing the same for him. 

“It's...” She moved inside slowly, touching the glass almost reverently. “Wow.” Then her eyes dropped to the bed and he saw her frown a little, reach down and grab the book he'd left there. It was the one he'd got her from the aquarium on their first official date. “I didn't know you had this,” she said. Then she noticed the envelope sticking out with her name on it, and she tugged it loose. “What's this?”

“Open it and find out.” Jaime came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist as she did. He rested his chin on her broad shoulder to watch her. Inside was a brochure for a snorkeling and diving vacation to the reef where the photos had been taken, and two airplane tickets for a week from today. 

“Jaime,” she breathed. “You did this for me?”

“I did.” She turned in his arms and he kissed her, slow and deep, and then when her chest was heaving against his, he paused. “I already talked to Margaery and she's going to make sure everything gets covered at the store while we're gone. She was, in fact, emphatic on the point that you have to go on this trip with me and would do whatever it took to make it happen.”

Brienne's reddened, well-kissed lips twisted into a wry smile. “That doesn't surprise me. She's been trying to get me to take a vacation since I met her.” 

“So you'll go?” Jaime asked, trying not to sound too desperate. He had big plans for this trip, and while he'd adjust them if she couldn't break away, he really hoped he wouldn't have to.

“As long as that second ticket is for you,” Brienne said, grinning. 

“You're in luck,” he said lightly, hiding his relief, and he kissed her back down onto the bed, the book and tickets falling to the floor unnoticed. 

Later, they were lying together under the soothing blue light of the aquarium, Jaime's head in Brienne's lap while she combed her fingers through his hair. She was talking about all the fish she was hoping to see on their trip, when she suddenly went quiet. 

“Sorry,” she said after a second. “I'll stop talking about fish for the rest of the night.” 

"Don't apologize," he said. He loved her voice and her kindness and her passion; her muscular legs and her shy smiles; he loved every last part of her, and knew she felt the same about him, too. Two weeks ago they'd gone to a convention together and she'd patiently waited in the two hour line with him to get an autograph from one of his favorite authors, asking Jaime question after question until his voice was hoarse from talking. A week later, Brienne had greeted him at her apartment dressed in a book-appropriate costume that he'd thoroughly enjoyed taking off of her. He had a very good feeling about their trip and what he wanted to ask her. For now, Jaime smiled into the soft skin of her thigh. "Please, go on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few last visuals that inspired some of the things in this chapter: 
> 
> [Brienne's bathing suit](https://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=424638012&vid=1&tid=atpl000007&kwid=1&ap=7&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8YnvrbK36gIVIhh9Ch0ArwmdEAQYBiABEgI59_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#pdp-page-content)  
> [Jaime's diving trunks](https://www.speedousa.com/solid-dive-suit-style-7300121)  
> [The boat-shaped shelf in Brienne's apartment (although I picture hers like a full-sized boat)](https://www.amazon.com/Standing-Display-Starfish-Seashell-Nautical/dp/B074Q1QVHM?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_2)  
> [The painting in Jaime's new apartment](https://www.lanrestudio.com/listing/117738131/kissing-fish-art-marine-life-decor-love)  
> [The bed aquarium!](https://decoholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/room_5_decorating_ideas_with_aquarium.jpg)
> 
> Thank you for reading the world's fluffiest fic! I appreciate everybody's enthusiasm for being cuddled in cotton candy and pillows and learning about fish with me. 😊
> 
> ETA: If you want to know what happened at the vacation, [I wrote a brief follow-up in my prompts collection!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23142283/chapters/63728860)


End file.
